Feel It
by lovelyxznv31
Summary: When you can't use your eyes, you have to find a solution to see things, somehow. TxG story!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer****:** I don't own HSM or anything related to it.

**Feel It  
**

**Chapter 1:**

"Troy, did you understand me?"

"Troy, honey, the doctor is talking to you" he felt his mother's hand rest on his shoulder and looked to the side, where the sound of her voice seemed to be coming from, "I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention"

"I was telling your mom, Troy" the doctor began again, "that I will examine you in four months again" he cleared his throat and continued, this time sounding more hopeful, "And we'll see if your eyes are ready to be operated"

"Uhm" Troy tried to smile but it made his face hurt, "This mean I'll be able to see again in four months?"

The doctor kept in silence and Troy heard a softly sigh, "You're still here mom?"

"Yes honey" he felt his bed moving and his mother's hand grabbing his, "I'm still here"

Troy nodded quietly. "Doctor Jones, will I be able to see after the operation?" he asked again and the doctor took his time to reply, "You'll have 49,9 percent of chances, I believe"

"That's not good at all"

"It's better than only 20 percent" his mother tried to sound hopeful as well, "Everything's gonna be okay, sweetie"

"I want to be alone" Troy snapped rudely, "And close the door when you leave"

He no longer felt his mother's hand in his and once again the bed moved. Troy shut his eyes even though being with them opened or closed would be the same thing. He heard footsteps and his mother's voice again, "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me"

The words echoed inside his head as Troy looked down even though he couldn't see anything. He blinked twice, rubbed his palms against his eyes in agony. He tried hitting the side of his head, maybe this way his brain would start working again. The doctor put a medicine in his eyes but nothing seemed to help. Troy Bolton was blind, he couldn't see anything at all. All he saw was darkness… contour and shadows, of course, but all immersed in complete darkness.

He rested his head against the pillow, sighing deeply as his eyes seemed to get wet. Troy could not see anything, but he could feel his heart aching and his eyes getting teary. His life was over, forever.

If he knew that the Saturday he finally decided to wake up early to spend some time with his family would be his last one he'd be able to see, he'd pay more attention to the ones that he loved. Troy would not only see, but notice. Get through the superficial – it would be more than just staring.

If he knew it would be the last time he would see the light of the day, he would not come back to his bed to sleep after breakfast. Troy would go to the park or drive to the beach. He'd go see his best friends, his favorite place, the girl he had a crush the whole year… he would do everything differently.

Troy Bolton had no eyes at the moment, but his brain seemed to work, as the images of his accident popped inside his head, taking him back to that fatidic day two months ago. Drinks, cars, drunk people… everything seemed so real again and if he tried hard he could still feel the physical pain of Jensen Troop's truck smashing his body in the parking area of Debra Wilber's residence. After that, his mind went blank. All he knew was what his mom told him. He knew he hit his head against the ground. He had a broken leg and two broken ribs.

But this was ok, because now two months after his accident, Troy was completely healed from his broken bones, but he still couldn't see. He knew he shouldn't wish for it, but if he could, Troy would rather have lost a leg than his vision.

The door opened again and Troy felt a small hand pat his stomach, "Hey there"

"Payton?" he'd still find difficult to trust his ears and had to certify every time who the person was, "Yeah, it's me"

"Oh" he let out a sigh, "Come on in"

"I'm already in" his sister giggled and sat on the edge of the bed, "I'm going back to school tomorrow. Vacations are over"

"I wish I could go back to school too"

Troy sounded depressed even to himself and that made him angrier. In his entire life till now, he was never a sad person. He was the star of the basketball team back in high school, he had tons of friends, he was always lucky with girls, he was even musical... Troy had everything.

"You'll be back next semester, I know it"

"I can't Payton" he sat down straight on his bed and added sarcastically "I don't think an architect can be blind"

"The doctor told mom he thinks you can see again"

"Shit Payton, stop being so positive all the time" he rubbed his head and ran his hand through his hair, "Can't you see I'll never be able to see again? I can still feel the fucking glass in my damn eyes"

"Troy—"

He interrupted her. "Don't go on. I don't wanna hear that bullshit that I need to trust the doctors, that If I want it so much I'll see again" he shook his head, "This is just... _bullshit_" he roared in frustration, "You don't understand what it's like to have someone in front of you and you can't fucking see her" he waved his hand in front of his face, "Do you see it? Good, cause I don't"

"Look Troy" Payton started again, "I can imagine you're angry and frustrated _and _sad, but you need to believe you can heal"

"I don't fucking believe anything anymore" Troy hissed and clenched his jaw, "My fucking dreams ended the same day that shithead Jensen fucked my eyes"

"It's useless talking to you" she shook her head and stood up, "You're too depressed to even admit you need help right now. Why don't you go to the psychologist mom told you about?"

"I'm not crazy, I'm blind!" he shouted angrily, "Shit, get the fuck out of here Payton, now"

Payton shut his door hard behind her and made her way to the kitchen where her mother was preparing lunch. "I know I have to be patient mom, but he's just impossible"

"Honey, try to understand him"

"I'm trying, mom" Payton sat on a chair and cried out, "It hurts so much seeing him like this, but he doesn't let me help him. It's so frustrating"

Cassidy Bolton sat down across the table, "I can't help but think if your father was still alive he could help us with Troy"

"He couldn't mom" she mumbled and ran her hand through her hair, "I need to pack my stuff"

"Dear, actually I was thinking if you could stay this semester here and help me with Troy" she held her daughter's hand and continued, "I have to travel again in two days and I can't leave him alone"

"For how long now?"

"Just two months" she replied simply.

"No, mom" Payton shook her head violently; "I can't do this. I'm about to graduate, you know that"

"I have to work and you know _that_. I need to pay for your college and Troy's. And the house bills! You know how expensive is to live in a good neighborhood. I have to work harder" she sighed in frustration, "And he's your brother Pay!"

"I know and I love him" she stood up, "but you'll have to hire someone, I don't know. A nanny, a nurse… Find someone, but I can't. I have no strength to help Troy right now"

Cassidy sighed. "Where will I find someone?"

"I don't know, mom" she answered coldly but regretted her tone of voice the same moment. "Look, I can help you out, okay? I'm gonna search for someone online"

"Great" Cassidy smiled at her daughter, "Thanks"

"Yeah, no problem" she smiled back, "Troy is rude and arrogant, but he still is my little brother"

Two hours later, Payton had already found someone to take care of her brother while she was back at school and her mother travelling. Her name was Gabriella Montez, 20 years old and she was studying to be a therapist at U of A. The girl agreed to be there in the afternoon to talk to Cassidy and Payton before accepting the job.

Five o' clock sharp, the doorbell rang and Payton made her way to the door, cracking her knuckles nervously. She knew it wasn't right, but she had convinced her mother not to introduce Gabriella to Troy tonight or she could change her mind about the job.

Payton took a deep breath and opened the door, smiling at the petite brunette standing in her doorway.

"Hi, I'm Gabriella" she said shyly and smiled, "You're Payton?"

The girl nodded. Gabriella was really beautiful, Payton was sure if her brother could still see, she would be the type of girl he would definitely go for.

"Come on in, my mom is waiting for you"

The brunette stepped inside the house and her eyes travelled from the modern furniture and the light painted walls to the dark wooden floor and the beautiful contemporary drawings on the walls. Her eyes locked with a grey grand piano across the spacious living room and she smiled, feeling already comfortable in the house.

"Your house is lovely" Gabriella said politely and Payton smiled, "thanks"

A few minutes later, an older version of Payton – blond hair, big blue eyes and a nice smile as well – appeared in the living room.

"Hello" she said softly offering her hand, "I'm Cassidy Bolton and you must be Gabriella"

Gabriella nodded and Cassidy motioned to her to sit down on the couch. She and Payton sat as well, "I'm sorry my daughter had to call you in a hurry"

"No problem, Mrs. Bolton" she smiled at her, "I'm used to it"

"Did she explain you everything?"

"Yes" Gabriella nodded her head, "She told me you have to travel for 2 months and needed my help with your son"

"Exactly" Cassidy agreed.

"How old is he? Because I'm not really used to take care of small babies"

Cassidy narrowed her eyes at her daughter, "Didn't Payton tell you the whole situation?"

Gabriella shook her head and Payton smirked at her mother, "Maybe I forgot to add a few details"

"What's going on?"

"Well, Gabriella. My son Troy, the one you're going to help me with, is 21 years old"

Gabriella's eyes widened and her mouth dropped slightly opened, "I'm sorry Mrs. Bolton. Is that some kind of joke?"

"No, dear. Of course not" she replied quickly, "My son was involved in an accident two months ago and he's temporary _incapable of seeing_"

"Oh" she let out a gasp, "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Bolton, Payton"

"It's okay, honey. It's not your fault"

"So," Peyton began, "Troy just needs help with food and taking him to the bathroom, the rest he can do alone"

"He is really sad he can't see" Cassidy whispered like she was afraid Troy could hear her, "Do you see all the drawings?" she pointed to the walls,

"Yes, they're really beautiful" Gabriella smiled at her as she examined the drawings more carefully,

"Troy's work" his mother replied proudly, "He's studying to be an architect"

"But he's away from school now" Payton added with a duh tone, "He can't actually see very well anything he does, so…"

"And my daughter told me you're going to be a psychologist, maybe you could help Troy with his depression" Cassidy said, "He was so full of life"

"But Mrs. Bolton, I go to school every day, I can't take care of him during the mornings"

"It's alright. Troy sleeps all morning anyway"

Gabriella bit her lip. Cassidy seemed so desperate she couldn't say no. "Alright, I'll try to help. When do you need me?"

Cassidy and Payton grinned; "Tomorrow" the mom patted her hand excitedly, "Would you like to meet Troy?"

"He's taking a nap, mom" Payton said too fast and Gabriella wondered if she was actually telling the truth.

"No, it's okay. I can meet him tomorrow"

"Great" Cassidy stood up and looked down at Payton, "Pay, darling. Can you show Gabriella her room?"

"Sure" she jumped of the couch and pulled Gabriella by the hand upstairs. She climbed the stairs slowly, not really listening to what Payton was saying, her eyes were trying to study the pictures hanging on the wall, but she was being pulled too fast, maybe some other time she could see it carefully.

"Is the piano yours?" Gabriella asked curious as they walked through the hall.

"No… Troy's" she said simply, walking to the guest room and pushing the door open, "Hope you like it"

Gabriella peeked inside, the light yellow walls and the white furniture made the room look cozier. "It's great"

"Good" Payton smiled and motioned to Gabriella to follow her, "Let me give you a small tour of the house"

"Okay" Gabriella followed her, trying to decorate the order of the rooms. Apparently, hers was next to Troy's, and then there were Cassidy's and the last door would be Payton's.

"And this room?" she asked, pointing to a door that had a sign written _do not come in_ on.

"Ah, it's Troy's studio" Payton turned back to stare at Gabriella, "That's where he finishes his projects for school and plays music when he wants"

Gabriella nodded. "Okay"

"You won't have too much work, you know" the girl told her and shrugged, "It's not like Troy leaves his room anymore"

"Why not?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "If he tells you, you'll win a prize"

They walked downstairs again and Payton showed her the rest of the house. Gabriella couldn't help but think it was a huge house for only three people.

"So, we'll see you tomorrow morning?"

"Sure" Gabriella smiled, "I just need your phone number and address" she said shyly, "My mom asked for it"

Payton laughed.

"Of course we will give it to you, sweetie" Cassidy assured her and wrote it down in a piece of paper. "Thanks so much for helping us out, Gabriella"

"No problem" she smiled again and Cassidy continued, "I'll be sending enough money for the week every Friday and I'll pay the house bills online. You don't have to worry about it"

She nodded. "Okay"

"And your salary, I'll deposit it in your bank account every Sunday"

"Sounds like a plan"

Cassidy nodded happily and hugged Gabriella, "Thanks for taking care of him"

"It's fine, Mrs. Bolton"

"Call me Cassy, please" she said sweetly and Gabriella nodded, "I'm looking forward to work with Troy"

* * *

**A/N - Just something that's been bugging me for a while now! I thought I should give it a try. If you like it, don't forget to tell me. I'll be only updating if there's someone interested in reading it! Anyway, it won't be long though, just a few chapters. Let's see the response! **=]

**I'll be back in a couple of days! Don't forget to read "Brotherly Love" .. the Grand Finale is almost there! ;0)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer****:** I don't own HSM or anything related to it.

**Feel It**

**Chapter 2:  
**

"Hey, can I come in?" Payton asked from the door and Gabriella nodded, "Sure, it's your house anyway"

She laughed. "But it's your room"

Gabriella shrugged. "I guess it is, at least for a couple of months"

Payton sat on the edge of Gabriella's bed, watching her unpack her bags, "So, excited?"

"Nervous" she admitted. "I'm afraid I won't be able to help your brother"

"Of course you will" Payton smiled sympathetically, "I bet Troy's going to love you"

She grimaced before sitting on the bed too, "Does anyone come to visit him?"

"Troy has a best friend that is always around" Payton told her, "His name is Chad"

Gabriella nodded. "Okay, so I'll just let him in if he comes by"

"I don't think Troy will see him though. He's not feeling very sociable right now"

"Was the accident very bad?"

"He was hit by a truck" Payton told her, "by a drunk guy that goes to his uni, fucking Jensen – he screwed up my brother's life"

"What happened?"

"The truck hit him so hard the window crashed and the pieces of glass got inside his eyes" she said in a whisper, her face turning a bit red, "I swear if I see that Jensen I'll kill him with my own hands"

Gabriella sighed, "Poor Troy"

"Yeah" Payton agreed, nodding her head.

"He can't see anything?"

"Just a few shadows and contours" she murmured looking away, "His doctor is hopeful he can see again in a few months"

"Hopefully he will"

"Yeah" she smiled and jumped off the bed, "Anyway, I just stopped by to say goodbye and good luck"

"Ah, you're heading back to school"

"Yes"

"Well, have a good semester"

Payton smiled, "Have patience. Troy's an ass right now, but he is a nice guy"

Gabriella giggled. "Alright"

Two hours later Gabriella was already alone in the huge Bolton's residence. Payton had gone back to school and Cassidy had to leave early considering her flight was international and she needed to get to the airport a few hours earlier.

It was 6PM already and no sign of Troy waking up or asking for help. She was tired of watching TV, she had planned meeting the guy she'd take care of during the beginning of the afternoon, maybe she could even convince him to even go out a bit.

Gabriella stood up from the couch, closed her books and textbook and headed to the kitchen. Troy didn't eat all day according to Cassidy and she was really worried he would be starving by now.

She made him a turkey sandwich and put in a tray with a glass of orange juice and carefully made her way upstairs and into his room, opening the door slowly, already seeing a body curled up in bed from the doorway. She placed the tray on his computer desk and stepped closer to his bed.

"Troy?"

"Troy?"

He moved slightly after the second time she called him, rolling over in the bed to sit down, "who's there?

"I'm Gabriella" a soft voice replied from his left and Troy turned his head to where the voice came from, "who are you?"

"Your mother hired me to take care of you"

"I'm not a baby, I can take care of myself" he replied stubbornly.

"I just came to bring you food, you're here the whole day" Gabriella told him shyly, "Or maybe you would like to go downstairs and eat with me?"

"No"

"Why not?" she continued trying to make conversation but Troy lay on his bed again, ignoring her.

"Your room could use some fresh air" Gabriella sat on the edge of his bed, "Would you like me to open the window?"

"No"

"You should say _yes_ more often" she replied casually.

Troy sighed. "Could you leave me alone?"

It was Gabriella's turn to be stubborn. "No"

"Please" he tried again.

"Nope" she tried to be reasonable, "Look, you'll eat the food and will let me open the curtains and I'll leave you alone" she bargained.

"Shit" Troy roared annoyed, "Can't you get out of here?"

"Troy, there's no need to be rude"

"There's no need to be fucking annoying too" he shook his head violently, "Listen, It's Graziella, right?"

"Gabriella" she corrected.

"Whatever" Troy rolled his eyes, "Take your food and your body out of my room" he hissed, "I don't know how much my mom is paying you, but I don't need your help"

"Troy, don't be like this"

"Gabriella, it's fine" he interrupted her again, "I can take care of myself, don't worry"

"Your mom will be away for 2 months" she sighed tiredly, "You won't eat or shower for this entire period of time?"

"Yes" he tried to sound calm, "Get out, please"

"Fine" she hissed, "But don't think I'm giving up on you, Troy. I'm not that type of person" she walked to the door, "I'll be downstairs if you need me"

He heard the door being shut and sighed. Troy hated being treated like a useless person. He would not need any help at all. He was 21 years old, he could take care of himself.

His stomach rumbled for the third time. Troy knew he could do only two things: try to sleep again and ignore his hunger or ask for Gabriella's help. He stood up, holding on his bedside table for support, feeling his legs weak. Maybe the girl forgot to take the food with her, maybe if he was very gentle he could reach the food without her even noticing.

"Where did she put it?" Troy murmured to himself, lifting his arms to try to touch his furniture, finding it really difficult because he couldn't exactly remember where his things were anymore and kept bumping into stuff.

Troy sighed in relief as he found an empty way ahead. If he tried really hard he could remember a door that would led him to his closet next to his bed and right beside it, the door to his bathroom. Troy ran his hand through the cold wall, looking for a doorknob.

"Ah, here it is" he smirked proudly and stepped forward, finding the next doorknob that he was sure would lead him to the bathroom.

"Okay, so going straight ahead I'll get to my room's door, my left there's my computer desk and the TV" he muttered in a low tone, nodding his head as he tried to encourage himself.

Troy tried to find the food but apparently Gabriella didn't leave it there. He walked successfully to his door, opening it and stepping for the first time in two months in the hall. His hand bumped in a picture on the wall, making it fall on the floor.

"Shit" he continued walking, taking slow steps like he was a baby. Surprisingly, Troy couldn't remember at all where the furniture was. Again, he cursed himself for never paying attention.

He kept walking, his hand touching everything he could, trying to make his memory work a bit. Maybe even his eyes, but he ended up hitting his head against the book shelf, making his weak body fall back down.

"Shit"

Gabriella heard the noise and stepped out of her room to gaze at Troy lying down.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" she asked, her voice sounding really worried. She bent down on his side and helped him sit down again, "Are you okay?"

Troy rested his head against the wall, "My head hurts"

"You're bleeding" she replied calmly, "Where do I find a first aid kit?"

He shrugged his shoulders and placed a hand on his cut. "Fuck"

"I told you to let me help you, why you need to be so stubborn?"

"I don't need your pity" he said in almost a whisper, "I'm not a baby"

Gabriella shook her head and sighed. "Troy, this is my job. Please, don't make your mom spend money for no reason"

He nodded slowly, "Ok, I'll let you help me but just a _bit_"

She smiled, "Only till you can do it yourself, I promise"

"I'll never do it myself, I'm useless Gabriella"

"Ah" she giggled, "You learned my name"

"Yeah" he rubbed the side of his neck, feeling her grabbing his hand and helping him stand up, "You know my name, it's the least I can do"

"Of course" she touched his forehead, "You have just a small cut, Todd"

Troy gave her a tiny smile, "You should smile more often"

"I have no reason to" he sighed sadly and Gabriella led him to his bedroom again, "Look, Troy. I have no idea how you feel, but feeling miserable won't help at all"

"I know" he hissed rudely, "It just comes out naturally"

"Hmm" she opened a door and Troy flinched, "Where you're taking me?"

"I need to clean you" she pushed him inside his bathroom and Troy's back gently touched the sink. Gabriella held his hand and touched his forehead with it, "Do you feel it?"

"It's wet"

"It's blood" she replied.

"Oh" he sounded dizzy, "Can you sit down?"

"Yeah. Can you help me out, please?"

Gabriella smiled. Troy knew how to be polite when he wanted. "Sure. So, you're in your bathroom counter" she explained slowly, "To get to your pot, it will take you" she walked to the pot, counting quietly, "5 steps"

"For real?" he sounded curious.

"Yeah" Gabriella grabbed his hand in hers and pulled him with her, "1… 2… 3… 4… 5" she placed his hand on the pot flush "See? We're here"

Troy smiled and nodded. "Sit down, please" she asked softly and he sat down.

"You're too tall" she grimaced, "I couldn't reach your head"

"You're small?" he asked and she nodded just for habit, she knew he couldn't see her.

"So?"

"Oh, sorry" Gabriella bit her lip, "Yeah, I'm kind of small"

"Do you know where I can find a clean towel?"

"Uhm…" Troy looked up thinking, "under the sink probably"

She bent down to grab a towel, smiling when she found it with no difficulty. Gabriella wet the towel very briefly and wiped his blood off his face, "How old are you?"

"I'm 20" she replied and he continued, "Do you study, Gabriella?"

"Yes, Troy"

"What?"

"Psychology"

"Uhm"

Gabriella looked at him. "What?"

"Nothing" he replied quickly. "I used to go to school"

"I know, you're studying to be an architect, your mother told me" Troy smiled a bit and that made Gabriella smile as well, "I saw your drawings in the living room, they're really good"

"Thanks"

She put him a Band-Aid strip on his cut, right on top of his eyebrow, "All set"

"Thanks, Gabriella"

"You're being really polite right now" she joked and Troy chuckled a little, "Since you're here, would you like to take a shower?" she asked and he nodded, "Maybe after this we can eat together?"

Troy nodded again. "Cool" she smiled, "Do you need any help?"

He shook his head. "Can you just show me how many steps till I get to the shower?"

"Of course" she began to count and Troy pulled his shirt over his head. As Gabriella turned back to look at him, she couldn't help but study his muscular body. Who knew under the large shirt there was a gorgeous body hidden?

Gabriella cleared her throat as he stood up again, "Okay, Troy. 6 steps till you reach the shower"

He nodded and she continued. "I'll get you a clean towel and clothes"

"Okay, feel free to go to my closet" he smiled again and she found herself hypnotized by his perfect smile, "Ok, I'll be right back"

Ten minutes later, Troy managed to walk out of his bathroom already dressed in his blue shirt and dark jeans.

"Gabriella, you're there?" he asked, stopping in the doorway and touching the wall with his hand.

"Yeah, I'm here" she stood up from his bed and walked to him, grabbing his hand in hers. "You took forever"

"I know" he sighed, "The pants, you know" he blushed and Gabriella nodded, "Don't worry, you'll get used to it"

"Could you help with my hair?"

"Sure, you just need to sit down again"

Troy nodded, before his hand let go of Gabriella's hand and ran up her arm, shoulder, side of the face and stopped in her soft curls, "Wow, you really are small"

"Yes Troy" she tried to sound annoyed but giggled, "Come with me, let's count the steps till your computer desk"

"1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6… 7… 8…" he hit his leg against the chair, "Ah, we're here"

"See? I told you it would be okay"

Troy smiled proudly and nodded, "Maybe If I practice it everyday I'll be able to move around the house alone"

"Of course you will"

Gabriella stopped in the middle of his legs and brushed his wet hair out of his eyes, "So, what should I do with your hair?"

"I don't know" he shrugged, stroking his hair to the side and smirking, "Let's see if it works"

"You didn't need my help for that" she told him, pretending she was angry, "Alright, stand up Todd Bolton, I'll take you to the kitchen"

"Ok Graziella"

Troy realized that moving around the house was not difficult after Gabriella had taught him to count the steps to get where he wanted. As they ate their dinner, Troy kept making conversation. He seemed to be more comfortable now that he knew he could do things by himself.

"So, what do you usually do for fun?"

Troy shrugged. "I used to play ball or go out with Chad"

"Why don't you call him tomorrow then and go out?"

"What for if I can't see anything?"

Gabriella sighed. "That's why you're always in your room?"

Troy nodded quietly, pushing away his plate of food that was now empty, "You cook very well, Gabriella"

"Thanks, Troy" she replied politely.

"So, you're staying for 2 months?"

"Yeap" she stood up and grabbed his plate, putting it into the dish washer, "Would you like to do something now?"

"I think I'll sleep"

"Okay. Maybe that's a good idea" Gabriella walked to the table and patted Troy on the shoulder, "come on, stood up"

She watched as he made his way upstairs all alone, not needing her hand or her counting to help him out. As soon as he got to the top of the stairs and stepped into the hall, he turned back, smirking, "I made it"

"I told you it was easy" she said playfully and Troy laughed, "For you, I was scared the whole time"

"No you weren't"

"Yeah I was" he said as he nodded his head and turned around to start walking to his room, "Can you imagine if I fall?"

"Well, I'd call the ambulance, I promise"

Troy grinned. "Funny"

He was just passing his room, but Gabriella held him by the hand, "It's here, Troy. How many steps you counted?"

"Hmm" he rubbed his head, "15?"

"Make it 14 then" she said and added, "My room is just next to yours, probably 20 steps from the stairs"

"6 from my room"

"Yeah" Gabriella agreed, "If you need anything, just scream"

Troy nodded and smiled, "Thanks Gabriella, for everything"

"No problem"

He was going to step inside his room when Gabriella called him again.

"I forgot to tell you something"

He turned to his side, where her voice was coming from, "tell me now then"

"I'll be going to my class in the morning, but your mother told me you usually sleep the whole morning, so I'll probably be back before you wake up"

"Okay, don't worry"

Both of them entered in their rooms and closed the doors. As soon as they realized, they drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Great, great response! I'm glad. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Troy wasn't rude as you all thought he'd be, right? He is a sweetheart in this story and I'm completely in love with him, haha you'll know why. Anyway, don't forget to review, please?** =]


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Well, let me explain a thing about this chapter before you take your time to read it. This Troy is completely different from the Troy from "Brotherly Love", this time he is more sensitive… and inspiring, maybe. I haven't figured it out, _yet._

My cute boyfriend is a huge fan of classical music and well, I got addicted to it as well a few months ago – so I decided that this Troy would be into classical music too. I chose from a list of composers my BF gave me (ha, he helps me so much) and I picked Debussy to be Troy's fave composer, considering Clair de Lune is getting very popular because of the Twilight Saga. So, the ones interested in different types of music, feel free to download the music I suggest in the story. They're really great, believe me. =]

And again, thanks for the reviews! You guys are great!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Enjoy!

* * *

**Feel It**

**Chapter 3:**

"Todd Bolton, you're awake and in the kitchen!"

Gabriella sounded so surprised that Troy had to laugh, "Yeah, Graziella. I came here and I didn't bump into anything" he smiled at her his mind blowing smile, "Are you proud?"

Gabriella got lost in his smile for a second. "Uhm… what?"

Troy chuckled and shook his head, "Forget it. I'm glad you're here. I tried to find the cereal box but I don't remember where my mom puts it"

She smiled and took off her backpack, putting it on a chair, "The reason you didn't find it is because it's on top of the fridge"

"Oh no" he sounded worried.

"What?"

"Can you reach it?" he joked and Gabriella rolled her eyes, "Someone's in a good mood"

Troy stood up and rested his hands on the chair, "Here, use this"

"I have another idea" she stepped closer to him, "It's a very nice day. Why don't we eat at the mall?"

Troy shook his head. "I don't think so"

"Why not, maybe I could even call your friend?"

"Chad?" Troy shook his head again, "Not now"

"Okay" Gabriella sighed, "Whenever you feel ready"

He nodded his head, "Thanks"

They ate lunch in silence and then Gabriella convinced Troy to go to the backyard garden at least. They sat on a bench near the swimming pool and Troy took his iPod out of his pocket.

"I can see you a bit when I'm in daylight"

Gabriella's eyes widened, "can you?"

"I mean, your shadow" he looked down a bit, studying her "And the contour of your body"

"Well, that's great" she grinned.

"You're not fat" he added playfully as he put his headphones on.

"I'm glad you could observe that, Troy" Gabriella replied sarcastically.

He smirked and rested his head against the bench, tilting his head to the side. "And you have long hair"

"Yes" she agreed.

Troy's hand captured one curl of her hair and he smiled, "It's soft"

"Yes" she agreed again, blushing.

"What color is it?"

"Black"

Troy nodded. "And your eyes?"

"They're a mix of brown and green"

He grinned. "It must be lovely"

"I don't know" She giggled, "_Your_ eyes are amazing, Troy"

"They are?"

"Yeah" she couldn't help but stare at them, "They're _so_ blue"

Troy shrugged. "It doesn't help having nice eyes when you can't use them"

Gabriella sighed. "Payton told me you have chances to see again"

"Too little"

"Well, you're still alive, that's what matters don't you think?"

He sounded discouraged, "I don't know"

"Your life isn't over just because you can't see, Troy" Gabriella sat closer to him, "You can still feel things"

"It's not the same"

She placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heart accelerate "Do you feel it?"

Troy nodded quietly.

Gabriella moved her hand to his arm, "And now?"

"Yes"

"How does it feel?" she stroked his cheek.

He blushed a bit, "Good"

She smiled, "See? You don't have to use your eyes for this"

Troy sighed, "Maybe you're right. Maybe I should enjoy life like this"

"I think you'd have a great time" she told him sincerely, "Don't waste your life feeling sorry for yourself Troy, it's not worth it"

He looked down, his index finger tapping his IPod slowly, "could you help me find Debussy?"

"Sure" she put her book on the bench and leaned on him to change the songs. Her perfume lingered Troy's nose and he felt his stomach flip.

"Ready"

"Thanks" he said politely. "Do you like classical?"

Gabriella shrugged. "I don't know"

He took off one of his headphones and gave it to her. "Listen to it"

She nodded quietly and put his headphone in her ear. "Close your eyes" he whispered to her.

"Can you feel the intensity?" he asked and she nodded slightly, biting her lip as the music filled her ear.

"All the years that I have studied music I always loved Debussy's compositions" he admitted in a low voice, more quietly than Gabriella wanted. She found herself not only in love with Debussy's music, but with Troy's voice as well.

"This one is called Arabesque" Troy told her, his voice so soft he sounded like he was telling her a story, "There is such a fluidity about his compositions that makes a joy to listen"

Gabriella nodded, opening her eyes to look at Troy. His eyes were still closed, his head still rested against the bench. The sunlight illuminated his face, making his hair look a kind of dirty blond and his face look like one of the Calvin Klein's models.

"Do you play Debussy?"

Troy smirked, "Claude is a challenge to play" he informed casually, "But I think I can handle it"

"Will you play for me one day?" she asked, suddenly shy.

"One day?" he teased.

"Yes"

"One day" he repeated and opened his eyes again, "I will"

Troy sighed deeply, looking down, the hot sun making his skin burn. "Music is my passion, Gabriella" he admitted, "I think I would suffer way more not being able to hear than see"

"Consider yourself lucky you have your ears then" she joked and he smiled, "I feel tired now. I'm going to my room"

"Are you sure?"

Troy nodded and stood up. "Do you need any help?" she asked again.

"No" he smiled at her, "Thank you"

Troy locked himself in his room the whole afternoon and the night as well. Gabriella didn't know why he did that, but she was feeling too grateful already to be making progress with him that she didn't want to invade his space.

She had dinner alone, since Troy decided he was not hungry. He managed to take a shower all by himself, the door of his room never opening.

Gabriella cleaned herself as well and lay on her bed. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes, only to open them two minutes later.

"I was going to knock, but you left the door open"

She sat down on her bed and turned on the lamp, "In case you needed anything"

Troy stood in her doorway, "It's actually 7"

"Hmm?"

Troy smiled, "7 steps from my room"

"Oh"

"Can I come in?" he asked and Gabriella nodded, "Sure"

"How many steps till I reach you?"

"Make it 5 large steps"

He laughed quietly, "Ok" he took five large steps and felt Gabriella's hand touching his arm, "I feel you" he said happily and she giggled, "I feel you too, Troy"

Troy sat on the edge of her bed and Gabriella looked at him curious, "Do you need anything?"

"I just wanted to talk. Are you tired?" he asked, "Because I can go"

"No" she replied a little too fast, "stay"

"Okay" he said softly, crossing his legs.

"What would you like to talk about?" Gabriella asked.

"You"

She gulped. "Me?"

"Yes" Troy replied calmly. "I don't know if it's because I can't see you, but I find you very fascinating, Gabriella" he sat closer to her, "I'm curious, really curious"

"Oh" she let out a gasp. "What would you like to know?"

"I would like to touch you" he admitted, "I'm trying to know you better"

Gabriella bit her lip and nodded, "Okay"

Troy smiled. "Can you put my hand in your face?"

Her shaky hand held Troy's large one and, as his fingertips made contact with her cheek, she felt butterflies in her stomach, "Ready?"

He smirked as his hand cupped her face, his thumb gently caressing her skin. Gabriella closed her eyes and held her breath as his index finger started to move down the line of her neck and across her jaw very slowly and delicately, ever so gently that he seemed he was afraid she could break anytime now.

Troy traced the contours of her chin, over her cheekbones, across her forehead and Gabriella couldn't help but let out a soft sigh. He examined her closed eyes, her eyelashes and ran his finger lightly over her lips, stroking her sensible skin, making her part her lips slightly at his touch.

"Do you have a piece of paper and a pencil?" he asked in a low voice and Gabriella snapped out of her trance.

"Y-yes"

He felt the bed moving and after a few minutes it moved again as she sat in front of him. Gabriella gave him the paper and the pencil and he closed his eyes, starting to draw something she had no idea what it was.

"What you're doing?"

"Please, don't look till it's ready"

She rested her back against her pillow and waited. Gabriella waited for what felt like ages, but it was probably about twenty or thirty minutes.

Troy's hand rested on her knee and he handed her the paper. "That's how I imagine you"

And even though he could not see her, he had drawn her perfectly. Troy Bolton had started to notice, he had been through the superficial.

Gabriella's eyes got teary as she understood the meaning of Troy's draw.

"It's gorgeous, thank you"

Troy reached for her face and touched her cheek, "You're crying"

"Yes" she admitted, "You're turning into a very sensitive man, Todd Bolton"

He smiled and wiped her tears with his thumbs, but when he spoke his voice sounded painful, "Why you're crying Graziella?"

"Can't you understand Troy?" her voice shook with emotion, "You are starting to see things with your soul"

"Am I?" he asked.

"Yes" she said in almost a whisper and placed her hand on his chest, right where his heart was, "In here, you'll never be blind"

He nodded quietly, but Gabriella was not sure if he did understand what she was trying to say. She tended to expect deeper emotions from people.

"I'm tired. I'm heading to bed" Troy informed her calmly and stood up, "Thanks again"

And before Gabriella could say anything, he turned on his heel and disappeared through her door.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Enjoy!

**Feel It**

**Chapter 4:**

As he woke up the third week Gabriella was in his house with him, Troy found it easier to move around without bumping into things. The first week he could find his way alone, but would still had some problems with plants and small things he couldn't feel. Now, two weeks later, his bruises from the experiment that were the weeks before were all healed and Troy didn't need her help anymore. He had his whole house memorized by now.

He'd only go for her because he missed talking with her, being with her. Gabriella was sweet, she was funny and he was 100 percent sure she was beautiful on the inside.

Troy had realized he liked talking to her, and even though he had a few rage furies sometimes, Gabriella didn't give up on him, she'd always be there to help him out. She had taught him to take things slowly, _one day at a time _and Troy was starting to make progress.

He cleaned himself in his bathroom and counted the steps out of his room and into the living room. Troy heard a soft sigh and he knew Gabriella was there. He had come to learn she would always sigh when she read her novels and he liked it, she seemed to be sensitive.

He touched the edge of the couch and slowly sat down, "Graziella, you're there?"

"I'm here, Todd" her voice came from across the room and he moved his head quickly to search for her, "Ah, my bad. I should have known"

"What?"

"That you would be reading on a chair" he laughed, "I thought you'd find more comfortable reading on the couch"

Gabriella smiled. "I do think, but I'm afraid I'm too tired to read there"

"Too much homework?"

"Nah" she joked, "Just you"

Troy chuckled. "What's for lunch?"

"Actually I was thinking…" she began and Troy didn't say a word, he knew where she was trying to get. "Maybe we could eat out today. You'll have to leave the house eventually, Troy"

"I don't want people seeing me like this" he sighed sadly. "I'm embarrassed"

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about" Gabriella told him patiently. "You are a gorgeous and very nice young man"

He blushed and gave her a half-smile, "thanks for the compliments"

Gabriella loved how shy Troy could be sometimes. He had told her he used to be lucky with girls, but she was sure he had no idea his effect on girls or how his eyes were dazzling _and_ his smile mind-blowing. How soft his voice could be and his hands were always so warm that everytime he touched her, even though it was completely innocent, Gabriella could swear she could melt.

Troy sighed and Gabriella knew he was considering her invitation. He rested his head against the couch and made a concentrated look. Gabriella found herself hypnotized by his little actions, "Todd, you think too much"

"Gabi, you don't know what's like to go out like this" he sighed and she felt her heart beat faster at his new nickname for her. "People are used to see me… _healthy_"

"You are healthy, _Troysie_" she teased and he smiled. "Will you be mad at me if I don't go?"

"Probably" she replied simply. "And I'd probably let you starve"

"I already know where the cereal boxes are" he smirked and she rolled her eyes, "I can hide them again"

"That's not very nice" Troy pouted a bit.

"Well, you declining my invitation isn't nice as well" she snapped smoothly.

"Okay, I'll be ready in 10 minutes"

"Thanks" she grinned, "I promise if you don't feel well I'll bring you home in no time"

Twenty minutes later, as she drove down the road Troy rolled his window down and closed his eyes as the breeze hit his face.

"This is fucking amazing" he said softly.

Gabriella laughed, "You're the only person that can curse softly" she mocked and Troy looked at her, "Tell me about your family"

"Okay, that's random"

He smirked, "Graziella… _please_"

"Well" she began, tapping her fingertips noisily against the steering wheel, "We live here in Albuquerque our whole life" she bit her lip, thinking of something fun to tell, "My brother's name is Charlie, he is 30, and is already married and I have two cute nephews, James and Wallace"

He nodded, leaning his head against the seat, like he was staring at the ceiling of the car, "Go on"

"Hmm. My dad George is a dentist and he really likes fishing" he laughed quietly and motioned for her to continue, "My mom loves to cook, but she's terrible at it"

"What does she do?"

"She's a couple therapist"

"Ah" he smirked, "It runs in the family blood, then"

"Maybe" she smiled. "My mom she's from Spain and she's really…" she sighed, "_Fun_?"

Troy smirked, his hand moving out of the car through the window to feel the sun burning his skin, "Do you have a boyfriend? Are you married, Graziella?"

"If I was I wouldn't be here" she teased.

"Do you like someone?"

That was a good question. Gabriella bit her lip as he turned his head to stare at her, his eyes so intense she felt embarrassed. Sometimes it was like Troy could really see her. "I don't know. What about you?"

He lifted his eyebrows, "I have a crush on this girl for like a whole year now" he smiled playfully, "But I had no courage to declare myself"

Gabriella felt her heart tightening, "Does she like you too?"

"Probably not"

She couldn't understand how someone wouldn't like him. "Why not?"

"Because last time I saw her, actually, last time I saw _at all_" he corrected, "She was slipping her tongue down Julian Gillian's throat"

She gulped. "Last time you saw at all?"

He nodded calmly, "I never said this to anyone, but I feel I can trust you"

"Of course you can" she added quickly.

Troy smiled, "I left the party I was early because I saw Molly making out with Julian" his smile faded away and Gabriella knew his mind was taking him back to the accident night, "Jensen was a bit drunk, and didn't see me in the parking lot"

Gabriella let out of soft gasp as she imagined the rest. "And that led me to where I am today"

"I'm sorry" her voice was almost a whisper and Troy nodded.

"What hurts the most" he continued after clearing his throat, "Is that I'm afraid I might still like her"

She didn't reply this time, just focused in getting in the parking area of the mall and park her car. Gabriella had no idea why, but as she let go of the steering wheel her hands where sweaty and shaky.

"This is crazy" she murmured to herself as she stepped out of the vehicle, walking to where Troy was standing. Her heart accelerated as soon as his hand slipped into hers, squeezing hers tight.

"I'm officially scared of being here" he admitted.

"Don't worry" she smiled at him and started walking, "I won't let go of you, you won't get lost"

"Please" he teased.

As they walked inside the mall, Troy kept holding Gabriella's hand so hard she thought he would break her bones, "Troy, gently, please"

He nodded, "I'm sorry" he let go of her hand a bit, "I'm just…" he sighed.

"Nobody is staring at you" she certified him. "You don't even look blind"

"I don't?"

"Not at all" Gabriella replied, pulling him towards the restaurant door, "What kind of food you like?"

"Hmm… Italian?"

"That sounds good. Well, we're here"

He stopped her from walking further and Gabriella turned around to stare at him, "What's the problem?"

"Can you please let me do this?"

She shrugged – Gabriella didn't understand why this was so important.

"Okay" she said calmly.

Troy came closer to her and whispered in her ear, "How many steps till I get to the host?"

"The hostess" she corrected him playfully, "Just go forward, nothing more than 4 steps"

He nodded and grabbed her hand again, "Do you believe in me?"

"Of course"

"That's all I wanted to hear" he smirked and counted the steps slowly, pulling Gabriella with him.

"Good afternoon" the hostess said warmly.

"A table for two?" he didn't sound nervous, actually Troy seemed to be in control all the time, his voice sounding very alluring.

"Of course, follow me"

He smiled his mind blowing smile and Gabriella rolled her eyes as the hostess looked at him flirty.

The girl led them to a small table right in the corner of the restaurant, "How's that?"

As much as he could see the hostess's shadow, he could not see the table for some strange reason. Troy looked back at Gabriella for a second and she squeezed his hand tight, "That sounds great, thank you…"

"Sally" she replied sweetly.

"Thank you, Sally"

Gabriella rolled her eyes again and placed his hand on his chair, "that's your chair"

She sat on a chair the opposite side of the table and sighed, "That's ridiculous" she shook her head, "_Sally _was almost throwing herself at you"

Troy seemed relaxed. "You're crazy"

"Right" Gabriella replied sarcastically.

"Ah, here comes another one" he said as he heard the footsteps closer.

She couldn't help but think it would be a long lunch.

Gabriella sighed deeply. "It's another girl"

As they were about to get inside her car to leave the mall two hours later, Troy heard someone calling his name.

He turned around, his heart racing fast as he recognized the voice. Gabriella studied the girl quickly, she was almost as tall as Troy and her blond hair, green eyes and beautiful figure could pass her as a Barbie. She gulped and let go of Troy's hand, seeing in his face she was someone important to him, but he didn't even notice her action.

"Troy, I haven't heard from you in a while"

"Hi Molly" he sounded nervous and stepped back a little.

"Are you okay?" she asked, closing the gap between them. "I tried to call you so many times, but you didn't answer me"

"I was uhm" he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Busy…"

"I'm glad you're feeling good again" Molly said softly, "Chad told me about your eyes, I'm sorry"

He smiled at her and shook his head, "It's not like it's your fault" he lied.

"Can't you see anything?"

Troy cleared his throat, "I can see your shadow and your contour"

"Oh" she lifted her eyebrows for a second. "And you are?" she looked at Gabriella with a sweet smile and even though Gabi was trying to hate Molly, she couldn't. The girl seemed really nice.

"I'm Gabriella" she said before Troy could, "I'm his friend"

"Hi, I'm Molly" she offered her hand and Gabriella shook it quickly, "You guys should definitely go out with the gang anytime"

"Uhm, I don't know" Troy replied simply. "How's everybody?"

"Good" Molly said, "They miss you though"

"And how's Julian?" he fake smiled.

"Excellent" she replied contently.

Troy's smile slightly faded away, but he tried not to sound disappointed in front of her, "Well, tell him I said hi"

"I will" she kissed him on the cheek and stroked his hair, "Take care, Troy"

"You too, Molls"

"Nice meeting you, Gabriella" she said before turning on her heels and walking away.

"She's really nice, Troy" her voice almost cracked, she didn't know what she was feeling right now and that scared Gabriella so much.

He nodded quietly and walked to the vehicle, "I'm tired. Could you take me home now?"

"Yes" she whispered, opening the door and helping him in.

They drove in silence all the way back home. Troy pretended he was sleeping, but Gabriella knew he was awake. She had seen him sleep before and was completely different from what he was doing or _trying_ to do now.

But she thought it was best not to say anything. Gabriella knew he was suffering in silence, the girl he liked so much had a boyfriend, and as much as she wanted, this time she couldn't help him at all.

As Gabriella walked to her room that night, she passed through Troy's room, his door was open and she could see he was sitting in the edge of his bed and his eyes were red and puffy.

"Troy, what's going on?" her voice sounded worried and he turned around on his bed, to stare at the doorway. "Are you crying?"

He looked down and cracked his knuckles nervously, "do you think she doesn't want me because I'm blind?" he asked in almost a whisper.

"Do you think she doesn't want me because I'm fucking useless?"

"Troy, don't—" she sat on the bed beside him and patted his knee.

"You don't know what was like today, Gabriella" his voice seemed hard even to himself, "I felt the pity in her voice"

"Troy, don't do that to yourself" Gabriella begged, stroking his arm gently. "You said you never had the guts to declare yourself, it's not her fault"

"I never had the guts" he repeated, "But she knew I liked her. Molly knows I _like_ her. Chad told her after my accident"

"Oh"

"Yeah" he tried to smile, "And you saw how she treated me today? Like I'm just worth her pity"

"Stop it, Troy" she insisted. "I'm not gonna sit here and listen while you bash yourself just because Molly doesn't want to date you"

"She has reasons"

Gabriella shook her head violently. "She does not, Troy. You're amazing" she said shyly, "if she doesn't want to date you, she must be crazy"

"You really think so?"

"Yes" she said firmly.

Troy nodded quietly, wiping his tears with the back of his hand, "Can you stay with me for a while?"

"Yeah"

He crawled on his bed till he rested his back against his pillow. Gabriella lay down on his side and kept watching him with the corner of her eyes.

"Tell me something funny, please" he asked softly.

She bit her lip, "I don't know"

"Please" he almost begged.

"One time my brother Charlie stole my mom's dress and pretended he was Tina Turner"

Gabriella saw a tiny smile on Troy's face and that made her smile a bit too, "When my mom got home, he was on top of the couch, singing and dancing, all dressed up"

She heard him laugh quietly. "She thought he was gay, and was actually pretty happy thinking he would live with her forever"

"What happened?" Troy asked.

"When he went to college he met Jennifer and fell in love" she saw him shutting his eyes, "And now they have James and Wallace, like I told you"

Troy smiled a half-smile and nodded slowly, "You smell good, Graziella"

"Oh" she blushed. "You think?"

He nodded and came slightly closer to feel her perfume better, "What is that?"

"Angel" she said in a whisper, feeling shaky already.

"Yeah" he smiled and stood up, "That's how an angel is supposed to smell"

"W-where you going, Troy?"

"I'm gonna go for a walk" he said simply.

"It's late, you can't go out alone"

"You were the one that told me I should do things for myself" Troy reminded her and Gabriella rolled her eyes, "Not at 1 am"

"Can't you stay?" she asked softly and Troy turned around, wishing he could see her more than ever now. Gabriella sounded so cute sometimes.

"Okay"

"Thanks" she whispered.

"Could you please tell me how I get to my radio?"

"Hmm" Gabriella studied his room, "Try 8 steps left, Troysie"

He chuckled and rolled his eyes. "If I'm right, my Debussy CD is in there" he walked to the CD player, but couldn't find the play button, "Gabi… can you please—"

Gabriella stood up and walked to him before he could finish, "Move, Bolton"

Troy smirked, "You're fast"

"Yeah" she teased and stepped in front of him.

He placed one of his hands on her waist, "Teach me, don't do it"

She nodded quietly, grabbing his free hand that wasn't on her waist and took to the radio, "Gimme your pointer"

He showed her his index finger and Gabriella giggled, "Here, touch it" his finger ran through the buttons.

"It's the biggest one, right?" he asked from behind her and she felt goosebumps, "Yes, Troy"

Troy managed to press play and smirked as the music filled his room.

"Claude" Gabriella teased.

"Claude" he agreed.

She turned around and Troy was just a few inches from her, "What's this one called?"

"Valse Romantique"

"Sounds really romantic" she smiled.

Troy lifted his eyebrows, "It does, right?"

"Will you ever play for me?"

"Hmm" he smiled and stroked her cheek, "God Graziella, you're really small"

"I'm not"

He grinned, "I'm the one that is tall then"

"Yeah" she replied casually, "But you didn't answer me"

"One day" he teased.

"Alright, I'm going to bed" Gabriella informed him, "would you like to go to my class with me tomorrow?"

He shrugged. "I feel tired"

"Right"

His hand kept cupping her face and Troy leaned down to kiss her on the cheek, "Thanks for everything"

"You thank me way too much, Todd Bolton"

Troy smirked. "I can't help if you're always helping me somehow"

Gabriella walked to his door, "Let's see if you'll help me someday"

"I'll try my best"

* * *

**They're so cute together. I find myself wanting Troy to forget Molly so much! Anyways... review?** =]


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** I'll be travelling Saturday morning and will be out of the country for a month at least, so I'm updating today and I guess Friday too, because I don't know If I'll be able to update while I'm travelling, my notebook charger is acting pretty insane, my battery is always low and I have no idea why. I have the story saved in my desk computer and my pen drive, so I'll try to write (I already have a few chapters written, just need to work on the grand finale) and update as soon as possible. I'll try my best not to leave you guys without updates for a whole month.

My idea with this story was to make it short, only 10 chapters but I guess I'll stick with 15 or maybe, 20. I guess it will be 15 lol, there's no need to make it big like Brotherly Love cause it's not a difficult plot like the other story was. I wanted to finish it before Christmas, but I wasn't planning on travelling this week, just a few days before Christmas, but well, _shit happens_ haha.

I hope you guys won't forget me while I'm away and will come back for the end of the story, please, please. Thanks for the reviews, the PMs and the support.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

* * *

**  
Feel It**

**Chapter 5:**

Gabriella's eyes studied the tall dark skinned boy in front of her for more than a minute in silence. Her mouth was slightly opened and she was still trying to understand _why the heck_ he was dressed like Will Smith in the 90's TV show "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air". Who would use orange shirt, with green shorts and yellow flip flops in 2008? And the hair was something completely big, a huge afro that made him look funnier than ever.

"Are you going to stare at me like this the whole day or I can come in?"

She shook her head and stepped aside, "I'm sorry Chad. Come on in, please"

"As I was explaining you before you stared at me like I'm a freak" Chad smirked at her, "I'm Troy's best friend"

Gabriella giggled. "I'm sorry, I'm so rude" she tried to be polite, "I uhm, like your hair"

"You're not a good liar, right?" he laughed, "But it's ok, my hair can never be teased, so I'll just ignore it"

She gasped. Chad really thought his hair was something… _fashion_?

"You are?"

"Gabriella, I'm hmm, taking care of Troy while Cassidy's away"

"Nice" he smiled at her, "Is Troy here? I'm tired of him ignoring my phone calls"

"Yeah, he went out for the first time this week and we bumped into Molly" Gabriella grimaced, "He didn't feel too well"

"Shit" Chad shook his head, "I wish he could forget her" he sighed, "He has a crush on her for a whole year, and she's always there throwing herself at him, but in the end of the day, she chooses another one"

"For real?"

"Yeap, it pisses me off" he said between his clenched teeth, "Anyway, is Troy in his room?"

"Yeah, do you want me to get him for you?"

"No, I'll go"

"Chad, I'm not sure—"

Gabriella tried to argument, but before she realized, Chad had already climbed the stairs and was knocking on Troy's door.

"Come on in, Gabriella"

"Okay" he said in a high pitched tone pretending he was Gabriella. Chad pushed the door open and smirked, "Aw dude, put a shirt"

Troy turned around. "Chad?"

"Yeah" he stepped inside Troy's room and shut the door behind him, "I missed you, bro"

"I know, dude" Troy captured his shirt on his bed and dressed it, "I'm sorry for not calling back"

"No problem" Chad sat on the edge of Troy's bed and looked around, "So, your room looks clean"

"Does it?" he sat beside his friend.

"Yeah"

"Maybe Gabriella cleaned it, because I couldn't"

"You can do whatever you want, Troy" Chad said annoyed, "You know that"

Troy shrugged his shoulders. "But dude" Chad laughed and smirked, "That Gabriella girl, man, she's hot!"

"Is she?"

"Fuck, I'd want to be blind just to have her 24/7 with me"

"That good?" he asked curious.

"Yup" Chad grinned. "And her body, wow"

"Chad, you're not helping" Troy ran his hands through his hair, "Now I'm more curious than ever"

"Can I go for her?"

"No" Troy said too quickly, and tried to sound calmer as he added, "I mean, I don't want you breaking her heart"

"Dude, I'd never"

He rolled his eyes. "Stay away from Gabriella"

"Is she yours?" he teased.

"What if she is?"

"Then I'll respect your property" Chad replied peacefully.

"She's not my property" Troy chuckled lightly, "I mean, she's very sweet and I like being with her"

"And?"

"I don't know. I'm blind, Chad" he sighed. "It's not the same going out with a chick anymore"

"Dude, this is bullshit" Chad stood up and patted Troy on the shoulder, "Offer me lunch?"

He smirked. "Sure, why not"

After lunch, Chad convinced Troy they should shoot hoops in his backyard. Gabriella sat on the porch and watched as Chad tried to teach Troy how to shoot all over again.

"Come on hoops, don't give up"

Troy shook his head annoyed. "It's useless, I can't do it"

"Gabriella, can you please help us out?" Chad called from the opposite side of the backyard and she nodded slightly, walking to them, "What's up guys?"

"Troy doesn't want to play anymore"

"I want" he hissed, "but I can't"

"What did we say about it, Troysie?"

He looked down, "I know Gabi, but I can't see the basket, it's impossible this time"

"It's not" she whispered in his ear and grabbed his hand, "It's gonna be Chad against the two of us"

"That sounds good" Chad said with a smirk, "I'm gonna beat your ass, Bolton"

"I bet you will, Chad" Troy said discouraged and Gabriella pulled him closer, "Troy, listen to me"

He looked at her, "Yeah Gabi?"

"Your friend is acting really cocky and he needs some punishment" she giggled when Troy lifted his eyebrows, "So, my brother is a great basketball player, I forgot to tell you"

"I see"

"I can steal the ball, but I'm not good shooting baskets"

"I can't—"

"Yes you can" Gabriella pulled him to the free throw line. "You stay here"

"I can see the shadow of the basket" Troy gave her a tiny smile, "I think I can shoot from here"

"Alright Bolton" she smirked, "Are you ready to kick Chad's butt?"

Troy grinned. "Yeap, let's go for it"

"Yo, Chad?" he called.

"Yeah, hoops"

He turned his face to where Chad's voice was coming from, "You're going down, man"

* * *

"You were amazing" Gabriella jumped in Troy's arms and he laughed, lifting her off the floor.

"You were pretty great too" he kissed her hair and smelled her perfume, "Thanks for this, Gabi"

She blushed badly and pulled away from him. "No problem" she rubbed the side of her face nervously and turned around to look at Chad.

"So, how you're feeling, Danforth?" she teased.

"Do I need to answer, Montez?"

"Chad, man, you lost for a girl and a blind dude" Troy laughed hard, "How does it feel?"

"Fuck" Chad murmured, "I'm outta here."

As they heard the noise of Chad's car, Troy sat on the ground, laughing more, "He always gets pissed when he loses a game"

Gabriella sat on his side, "You played really well, Troy"

"Thanks" he smiled, "You too"

"You know what, Graziella?" Troy asked after a few minutes in silence. "Chad told me you're freaking gorgeous"

"Well" she blushed and pulled her hair up in a ponytail, "I'm cute, I guess"

"He never used the word cute" he smirked and reached for her face, "You seem pretty"

"Thanks, Todd" Gabriella smiled sweetly and Troy stared at her with intense eyes.

"Did you just rub your hair?"

She nodded quietly, "I put it up in a ponytail"

He smirked, "I saw you moving"

"Great" she pulled away as she heard her phone ringing, "Be right back"

Gabriella ran to the porch steps, grabbed her cell phone and pressed the button yes. She chatted for a few minutes and walked back to Troy, "it's Payton"

Troy lay down on the grass, "Tell her I'm in Hawaii"

She giggled, "Come on, Troy"

He sat straight again and accepted the phone, "Hey Payton. Yeah, I'm great. I was playing ball. Mm hmm. With Chad and Graziella" he laughed, "I know it's Gabriella, don't worry. Oh really? What for? No, I'm not being rude, Pay" he sighed. "I'm in a good mood today, I _swear_. Ok. I'll wait you. Bye"

He gave her phone back, "She's coming home on the weekend"

"What for?" Gabriella asked softly.

"Ha, I asked the same thing and she thought I was being rude and that I didn't want her home"

Gabriella giggled. "I like your sister, she's awesome"

"Yeah" he rolled his eyes. "What would you think if we watched a movie today?"

"A movie?"

"Mm hmm" Troy said casually. "I can hear and you watch"

"Aren't you gonna be depressed?"

"No, I promise"

She smiled. "Ok"

They cleaned up and after dinner, Troy led her to the TV room, showing her his collection of DVDs. "I saw each of these films multiple times"

"Wow" she examined the titles, "Ah, you have the Goonies"

He nodded. "You like it?"

"Of course" she replied excitedly.

"I do the best Sloth impression" Troy informed her calmly.

Gabriella giggled. "Can you do it for me?"

"Let's see" he said playfully, "Put it on, I'll close the curtains"

She pressed the play button on the remote and sat on the huge couch, holding her legs against her body and resting her chin on her knees. "Can you do Chunk's?"

"Probably" Troy sat on her side and closed his eyes, "I'm good at everything"

"Ah, Cocky Bolton"

Troy smiled and sat closer a bit, his eyes still shut. "You're not going to sleep, right?"

"I _swear_ I won't" he smiled a half-smile. "I'm just imagining the movie in my head"

"Should I turn off the lights?"

He shrugged and gave her a boyish grin, "I don't really see the lights, so…"

Gabriella giggled and stood up, running to the light to turn it off. She jumped back on the couch, almost falling on Troy's lap, "Oops, sorry"

"If you want to sit closer, just do it" he teased.

"Ha-ha. Funny" she hit his chest playfully, but Troy wrapped his hand around her waist and pulled her closer. "I know you want to, Graziella"

Gabriella could hardly breathe. "Close your eyes or you'll lose the movie in your head"

"Ha, that was mean" he smirked and closed his eyes again, murmuring the lines to himself.

She obliged herself to watch the TV instead of staring at Troy, but Gabriella found it really difficult because, using his own words, Troy fascinated her. His expression, his firm lips, his laugh, everything was breathtaking.

He moved a bit and his arm brushed against hers, making her shiver.

"Are you cold?" Troy asked in a whisper, his eyes never opening.

Gabriella gulped, "A little" she lied.

"Okay" he said softly, wrapping one arm around her waist and bringing her body closer to his. She automatically rested her head against his muscular chest, smelling his cologne.

"Better?" she was still out of words. "Gabi?" he asked again.

"Y-yes, thank you" she replied in a whisper.

Troy smirked, "Ah, I said I would try to make you thank me someday"

Her shirt lifted a bit, offering Troy her skin to trace patters at. Troy's warm hand traced gentle 8's on her waist with his fingertips and Gabriella had to bite the inside of her cheek all the time to avoid a moan.

"Gabriella?"

"Yes?"

"If I could see, would you go out with me?"

She bit her lip, "Yes"

Troy smiled. "Ok"

"Why?"

"I was just curious"

"Oh" Gabriella sounded disappointed, "Is something wrong?"

She shook her head quickly. "No"

"You never told me if you had a boyfriend" Troy accused playfully, sitting more comfortable with her still in his arms.

"I don't"

"No one at all that you like?"

"Hmm" she sighed deeply, "Maybe"

"Because you are very nice and you seem beautiful" he began again, "I don't understand why you don't have a boyfriend then"

"It's a long story" Gabriella said simply.

"I think I can keep up"

"Hmm…" she pulled away from him and stood up, "I think I'm heading to bed, Troy. Do you mind to finish the movie alone? I have to wake up early tomorrow"

Troy rubbed the back of his neck, already missing her in his arms, "No, it's okay"

She nodded quietly, "See you later then"

"Bye Gabi, goodnight"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Okay, a long chapter to say goodbye properly! It was really fun to write this one, there are lots of revelations here; I'm crossing my fingers that you'll like it as well. My notebook and charger are already packed, so hopefully it will work and I'll be able to update the story. A month and a half without reading your reviews is too much haha! =]

I hope you guys will come back for the rest of the story! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year, everybody!

**Disclaimer****: **I own nothing. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

**Feel It**

**Chapter 6:**

She had been begging for an entire day now, but nothing seemed to work. Gabriella even considered sink low, but her puppy eyes wouldn't affect Troy at all because he couldn't see her black lashes fluttering as swiftly as butterflies' wings. She tried the sickly sweet voice and that _almost_ worked, but Troy only smirked at her attempts and told her she needed to do something really hard to get him to go with her.

Gabriella sighed. "Please, Troy. It's my parent's anniversary today" she held securely his hand between hers, "I need to be there and I don't want to leave you alone" she sat closer, her voice pleading, "Come with me, _please_"

"I won't be alone Gabi" he smirked again, "Payton is coming home"

"No, no, no" she shook her head slightly, "She'll arrive pretty late, she called me" Gabriella wrapped her arms around his waist, "Please, come with me"

"Gabi…" Troy tried to hold his breath because he was starting to feel affected by her sweet perfume. He closed his eyes and smelled her hair lightly.

"Please Todd" she begged one last time.

And Troy found difficult to think clearly with her soft voice begging him, her small hands wrapped around his waist, her perfume lingering his nose, her hot breath against his chest, "Ok"

"Ahh, that's great" Gabriella let go of him and clapped her hands excitedly, "Thank you so much"

"Second time huh?" he rolled his eyes.

She giggled, "Yeah, you're getting good at it"

"Well, thank you" he laughed flirtatious, "What time do I need to be ready?"

"Hmm… can you manage to look gorgeous in 30 minutes?"

"Of course" he grinned. "Can you?"

"I'm always looking gorgeous" she teased. "If you could see you'll be drooling over me all the time"

"I heard that before" he smirked and stood up. "Can you do me a favor, Gabi?"

"Yeah, Troysie" she said sweetly.

Troy chuckled, he loved the sound of Troysie coming from her lips. "Can you help me pick up the clothes at least? I want to look good" he lifted his eyebrows, "After all you are drop death gorgeous, right"

Gabriella blushed badly. "That's what your friend says" she joked.

He hugged her, "That's what I think so too"

Troy placed a kiss on her forehead before turning on his heel and going upstairs. And once again, Gabriella found herself smirking like a fool.

* * *

"Are you ready?" he asked, stopping on her doorway.

Gabriella studied Troy from head to toes, her mouth watering as he looked so beautiful. Troy was using a pair of dark jeans, a baby blue collared shirt with a black blazer. When Gabriella picked up his clothes, she had no idea he would look so gorgeous like he was. And his eyes that used to dazzle her all the time were bluer than ever tonight, making her legs weak.

"Whoa, fucking gorgeous" she whispered more to herself but Troy chuckled quietly as his ears registered her words.

"You shouldn't curse, princess" he said playfully and he reached for her, finding Gabriella in front of him with no difficulty. "Are you ready?"

She nodded quickly, yet too embarrassed he heard her. "What you're dressing? Can you describe for me?"

"Hmm" Gabriella bit her lip and nodded as she felt his fingers playing with hers, "Just a dress"

Troy smirked. "What kind?"

"Troy…"

"Please, Gabi" he begged with a soft voice and she closed her eyes, "This isn't fair"

"What?" he seemed amused.

"Begging, I can't say no when you do that"

"That's the whole point of begging"

"It's an open back mini dress" she replied quietly, blushing hard.

"Hmm" he wrapped one arm around her body to touch her bare back. "That sounds good"

Gabriella shrugged her shoulders, feeling her body shivering. "What color is it?"

"Ivory and black"

Troy grinned. "Ivory is one of my favourite colors, Graziella"

She smiled a bit. "Oh"

"And the hair?" he lifted his hand and touched the side of her face, caressing her skin and moving his hand up to touch her hair, "Ah, no curls today"

"Yeah"

He came closer, "And you're taller"

"Heels" Gabriella said simply.

"Heels, of course" he agreed and kissed her hair, "and you smell very good"

"Thanks, you too"

Troy smirked, slipping his hand into hers, lacing their fingers, "Should we go?"

**xTGxTGxTGxTGxTGx**

They arrived at Gabriella's house an hour after the beginning of the party, and even though Troy seemed to be secure the whole way there, as they stepped outside of the vehicle, he flinched like the first time he went to the mall.

"Troy, come on, it's the second time you go out now"

He gulped. "I'm worried people will mock me"

"I won't let anybody mock you" she promised.

"I don't know Gabi" he said in a low voice, "I feel embarrassed again"

Gabriella sighed. "We made so much progress, Troy. Don't go back now" she squeezed his hand, "Please. We already talked about being embarrassed before"

"I know I just—"

"Do you trust me?" she asked firmly and he nodded quickly, "Then you should know I would never put you in a bad situation, right?"

Troy licked his lower lip, "Right"

"Okay, so we're going inside, agreed?"

He nodded quietly.

"Okay" she held his hand in hers tightly, "If you feel uncomfortable, just tell me and we go away"

Troy nodded again. "Fine" he stepped forward, sighing deeply. "I don't think I can, Gabi"

She squeezed his hand again, "I dare you to move"

Troy looked at her, "You dare?"

"Yeah" she nodded with her head, her lips firm.

"I don't like when people dare me" he looked down and then smirked, "Let's go Graziella"

As Troy laced their fingers, Gabriella felt the most powerful woman in the whole world.

They climbed the porch steps slowly and she rang the doorbell. "So your parents know I'd come?"

"Sure" Gabriella lied. Was it pretty terrible to lie to him just because she wanted his company?

A woman a bit smaller than Gabriella, with chubby cheeks and a gentle smile opened up the door and as she realized her daughter was standing in front of her, she grinned, "Gabby!"

"Hey mommy" she gave her a quick hug, "Happy anniversary"

"Thanks, _hija_" she stared at Troy with curiosity. "Good night, I'm Gabriella's mother, Janelle"

"Hi Mrs. Montez" he said charmingly and added, "I'm Troy Bolton"

Janelle looked down at their fingers interlaced and winked to Gabriella, "Ah. I heard so much about you" she smiled widely, "I was asking _Papi_ the other day when Gabriella was going to bring you home"

"You heard about me?" he sounded curious.

'What the heck?' Gabriella thought to herself, 100 percent sure her mother was crazy now because she never mentioned Troy. Actually, she hasn't talked with her mother since she started working with him so it was impossible for her to know _anything_ about Troy.

"Come on in Troy, my house is your house" her mother pulled Troy by the hand inside and Gabriella shook her head.

When Troy was already in, her mother nudged her with the elbow and whispered, "The boyfriend you told me about huh"

Gabriella really tried to tell Janelle the truth, but the party was crowded, her cousins were there, her nephews, brother, uncles, aunties and _apparently_ the whole neighborhood as well.

"Mom, leave Troy alone" she pulled his hand to hers as soon she could and "saved him" from meeting her aunties.

"Gabby, I just want to introduce him to the family" she said sweetly, her cute Spanish accent making Troy smile.

"What you're smiling at?" Gabriella asked as she pulled Troy to the opposite side of the room, far away from her mother and aunties.

"Your family is funny" he said with a smirk.

"I know, they are loud and in large quantity" she sounded so annoyed that Troy laughed harder, wrapping his arms around her small waist and hugging her, "Don't worry, I'm actually enjoying myself"

"I bet" she said sarcastically.

"Really, your mother said she was going to show me some of your pictures" Troy said casually, "I don't think she realized I can't see"

"Of course not" Gabriella sighed in frustration, "She's _extra_ excited tonight"

He chuckled. "I don't understand what she was trying to tell your aunties though" he leaned against the wall, Gabriella still safely wrapped in his arms, "Something with nobio or novio, what does that mean?"

"Oh no" she closed her eyes and hid her face in Troy's chest. "Shit, shit, shit"

"Princess, what I told you about cursing?" he teased in her ear and Gabriella rolled her eyes, "She thinks you're my boyfriend, Troy"

His eyes widened and his mouth curled up in a grin, "You've been telling her I'm your boyfriend?"

"No" Gabriella snapped quickly, blushing. "I guess she's not linking the name to the person"

Troy stopped laughing, "What you mean?"

"I mean…" she sighed and pulled away from him, "My ex boyfriend's name was Ty" she said in a whisper, "My mom is really oblivious"

"She can't even remember your ex boyfriend's name?"

"Exactly" she admitted in a low voice.

Troy smirked. "That sounds exactly like _my _mom"

Gabriella giggled, "Really?"

"Mm hmm" he rubbed her back gently. "I don't think we should contradict your mom tonight, it's her anniversary after all" he smiled playfully.

She blushed so bad that she flinched a bit and he laughed. "You seem so embarrassed" he cupped her cheek delicately, "and you feel very warm, actually" he stroked her cheek with his thumb, "Are you blushing?"

"Maybe" she grimaced.

"Ah, I'd like to have my eyes working just to see you blushing"

"Sugar!" someone wrapped his arms around Gabriella and pulled her away from Troy.

Never in all these months he couldn't see, Troy felt such a strong agony like now. He could only hear Gabriella's giggles and a manly voice and by now, his heart was flipping madly inside his chest. He didn't know why, but maybe he was jealous her attention was no longer his, maybe he was feeling insecure to be "left alone" for a few seconds _or_ maybe – what Troy was _almost_ sure was happening to him – he was feeling very _protective_ of Gabriella.

"Troy" he felt his heart rate slow as her hand slipped into his again. "This is my brother Charlie" she added with a teasing tone "remember I told you about him?"

"Ah, you're the famous Troy?"

Troy nodded, relieved. "That's me" he offered his hand and waited for Charlie to shake it, "I heard so much about you"

"I read so much about you too"

He frowned, "Read?"

"I sent him texts" Gabriella told him and then added calmly, "When you were acting like a rebellious teen"

"It was for just 30 minutes, Gabi" Troy shook his head, "I'm sorry, Charlie. I imagine you heard lots of bad things about me"

"Not at all" he assured Troy and looked at Gabriella, "Dad is looking for you"

"Oh"

"I'll keep him company" her brother smiled, "Don't worry"

"Is it okay?" she asked Troy and he nodded, smiling. "Don't worry"

Gabriella nodded as well, "I'll be right back"

As soon as she left the boys alone, Charlie grabbed Troy's arm and led him to a chair, "Sit down, Troy or my mom might try to introduce you to the whole family"

"She already did" Troy grinned, "She thinks I'm Gabi's boyfriend… Er, ex boyfriend"

"Ty?"

"I guess"

Charlie laughed. "Don't worry. Mom called my wife Janet till my first child was born"

He laughed. "My mom is just like yours"

"So" Charlie began, "You and Gabriella are getting along well?"

Troy smiled, "Yes, she's a great girl"

"I'm glad. She's looking really happy"

"Is she?"

"Yes" he assured Troy. "I don't see my sister so happy like this since—"

"Since?" Troy tried to encourage him but Charlie shook his head, "Did she tell you about Ty?"

"No, she just said it was a long story"

Charlie rolled his eyes. "Yeah it is, that son of—" he let out a low roar, "Sorry Troy, but just thinking about what he did makes me _so_ mad"

"Was it that bad?"

"Yes" he agreed sadly. "She's been through a lot because of him"

"Did she like him very much?"

Charlie nodded and Troy gave him a tiny smile after a few minutes in silence, "If you're replying with your head, I will need to ask you to speak, I can't see you"

He laughed, "Sorry. I forgot you couldn't see"

"Gabriella always tell me I don't look blind"

"I guess not" Charlie agreed and then sighed. "Gabriella was crazy about Ty"

A pang of jealousy churned inside of Troy. "She still cares about him?"

"Hopefully not" he said in a whisper, "Ah, I need to go save my sister from Richard, he's always hitting on her"

Troy nodded quietly as he heard Charlie moving and then the noises of his footsteps.

"So, you're Gabriella's boyfriend?" a feminine voice asked and Troy bit the side of his lower lip, not sure of what to reply.

He looked up, following the woman's voice, "Yes, you are?"

"Jasmine, your _girlfriend's_ cousin" he felt her sitting on his side, "I don't get how she always dates hot guys" she sniffed, a clear case of resentment.

Troy's eyes slightly widened as he realized Jasmine's tone of voice. It was obvious she was jealous of what Gabriella could have and according to her disappointment, she couldn't.

"She's just perfect" he replied with a sickly sweet tone of voice, "I'm very lucky to have her"

"Are you blind or what?" she asked rudely, not really believing the gorgeous guy next to her was "in love" with her _ordinary_ cousin.

"Actually—"

"Troy, let's go" he was interrupted by Gabriella's voice and her hand patting him on the shoulder.

"Are you afraid he falls in love with me in the end of the night, Gabriella?" she teased.

"No, Jasmine" Gabriella tried to sound sweet, but as Troy held her hand he could feel she was really tense, "I just don't want you near him" she smiled at her cousin, "I like him too much to let him go through cruel torture"

She pulled him away quickly, Troy bumping into lots of people as they made their way to the backyard.

"Damn it, I hate her so much" Gabriella murmured loud enough for Troy to hear when they were alone in the garden.

"What's up, Gabi?" he stood in the same place, afraid he could fall because he didn't know her parents house at all.

Gabriella sat down on the garden bench, the angry tears rolling down her cheeks. She gazed up to see Troy looking completely lost and confused, "Come here, 3 large steps forward and I'll get you"

Troy did what she said and found her hand quickly. He sat beside her and touched her face, "You're crying?"

"I thought she wasn't coming" she admitted, "but daddy called me to tell that she just arrived"

"Who, Gabi?" he asked in a whisper.

"Jasmine"

"I can feel you don't like her"

"She screwed up my life, Troy" she let him wrap his arm around her waist and bring her close, "My daddy said he didn't invite her, she just showed up. She's always doing this"

"Hey, calm down" he stroked her tears away with his thumb, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"You remember when I told you about the long story?"

Troy nodded quietly. "She was involved"

"Okay" he waited for her to continue, but she didn't. "I can keep up with it, go ahead sweetheart"

Gabriella gulped, her bad day coming back to her memory like it was happening in front of her eyes all over again, "She was my best friend, Troy. Jasmine and I grew up together. She's my cousin for God's sake"

"Remember I told you I live on campus?" he nodded and she continued. "I was dating Ty for four months and it was two weeks before Thanksgiving" she took a long pause to control herself, "I was planning to introduce him to my parents for the first time"

"Mm"

"But Jasmine decided to show up, visit me on campus" she leaned her head on Troy's shoulder as he stroked her hair, "I was happy to see her, I missed her so much. And I wanted her to meet Ty. I've been talking good things about him for her for 3 whole months"

Troy kissed her forehead gently, "I understand if you don't want to continue"

"No, it's ok" she assured him with a weak voice, "To sum it all up, I found them having sex in my own dorm, in my own bed"

He closed his eyes to avoid the rage he was feeling. How could someone hurt Gabriella? How could her cousin use her friendship to get to her boyfriend?

"I thought he was the one, Troy" she admitted in a whisper, "We were even talking about marriage"

"Shh" he pecked her forehead several times, rubbing her arm up and down in comfort as she cried hard against his chest, "you'll find someone better for you, I promise"

"I didn't tell my mom… because she likes Jasmine so much…" she said in between sobs, "But my daddy knows, he doesn't… talk… with her… anymore. Nor Charlie"

"This is so wrong, Gabi" he told her, his voice husky, "I have no idea why he would ruin his relationship with you because of someone like Jasmine"

Gabriella looked up at him, his chin was still rested against her hair and Troy was rocking her back and forth slowly, "You are so amazing, and she is—" he sighed, "She's just ugly on the inside"

She nodded quietly, calming down as his soft voice filled her ears, "would you like to go away? I don't think I can stay here any longer" she almost begged.

"Yeah, let's go home" he stroked her face, "I'm gonna take care of you"

"Thanks" Gabriella said in a whisper.

Troy smiled. "My pleasure"

* * *

Payton searched for her home keys inside her backpack and hummed a song, while the hunt for the keys seemed to be longer than she was planning too. She patted her back pocket and found her cell phone. She tried the left pocket and _bingo_ – the key was there.

The girl smirked – in a very familiar way, all the Boltons smiled the same – and climbed the porch steps, beginning her humming all over again, her house keys jingling in her hand.

She unlocked the door, pushing it open to step inside, feeling relived to be home already. Payton loved being in school, loved living on campus, but the truth was, she was _completely_ worried about Troy.

Payton found it really difficult to believe Troy when she spook with him on the phone, all the time he was doing something fun, playing ball, or visiting the mall or helping Gabriella out with something. It was just… _weird_. He was so different a few weeks ago and she knew it was _almost_ impossible to bring the humor back to Troy's life.

Not that she didn't _believe_ Troy or Gabriella. Or she didn't have faith on her brother's recovery or Gabriella's skill as a friend and a physiologist, one part of her wanted everything to be true, but the other part – and she didn't know how dominant that part was – felt jealous she was not the one Troy decided to open up, or begged for help. They have been best friends since their dad died, it was the least she could do.

Only God knew how much she tried to help Troy during her vacation, but he didn't let her get near him. What Gabriella had that she could help him and his own sister couldn't?

Payton shrugged off her never-ending thoughts as she walked through the living room of the house, looking for someone still awake. All she wanted to do was take a hot shower to warm her body and go straight to bed.

She was almost walking upstairs when she heard a noise coming from the kitchen, probably Gabriella looking for something. Payton knew she wasn't in a very patient mood right now, but she knew as well it would be extremely impolite not to greet her, so she turned around and headed to the kitchen.

"Hi Gab—" she stopped as she seemed to lost her words. Her eyes studied the figure in front of her. Was Troy really there, in the middle of the kitchen, making himself a sandwich or was she awake and dreaming again?

"Hi Pay" he said contently.

"T-Troy" she said in a whisper, feeling too emotional to see her brother looking so normal now. "Oh my God" she squealed as she ran to him, wrapping her arms around his neck to hug him tight, "I'm so happy my little brother is _back_"

Troy laughed against her shoulder, his arms quickly wrapping around his sister's waist. "It's nice to see you too, sis"

She pulled away and kissed him on the cheek, "You look so great"

"Thanks, Pay" He smirked, "You _sound_ good too"

"Oh my God" she covered her mouth with her hand in shock, "You're even making jokes"

He rolled his eyes, sitting down at a chair and taking a bite of his sandwich, "Why shouldn't I?" he lifted one of his eyebrows, "It's not the end of the world I can't see"

Payton sat in front of him, still pretty much shocked, but she realized the jealousy she was feeling a few minutes before had gone. She just wanted to thank Gabriella so much for everything she helped Troy with.

"You're not a pain anymore?"

"Only on Mondays" he teased.

She grinned, "I missed you so much Troy Richard Bolton" she stood up noisily, heading out of the kitchen.

"Payton" Troy half-yelled after her, "Where you're going?"

"To thank Gabriella personally" she explained calmly.

"No" he stood up, walking to where he knew would be the kitchen door and where he could hear his sister's heavy breaths coming from.

"She's sleeping" he informed her, slipping his hand into hers and pulling her out of the kitchen, taking her back to the living room. "Gabi had a tough night"

"Why?" Payton asked in a whisper as he moved his index finger to his mouth, asking for silence.

"Family issues" Troy replied, letting go of his sister, touching with his hand the edge of the couch and crouching in front of it. "She sounds so relaxed now, don't you think?"

"I guess" Payton shrugged and sat on the stairs steps, "Why she's sleeping on the couch?"

"We were talking and she fell asleep" he whispered back, his hand tracing the couch… _searching_.

"Talking about?"

"Things" he replied simply, smiling slightly as he found her small hand, starting to caress it with his thumb.

"You guys are getting along well?" Payton asked and Troy nodded, quietly. "You're gonna wake her up, Troy"

He smirked, turning his head to _face_ his sister, "Gabi is a heavy sleeper"

"Hmm" Payton was curious. She just wanted to understand how Gabriella helped Troy, "How she did it?"

"Did what?"

"Change you"

Troy caressed Gabriella's hand for a long time in silence, like he was examining his sister's question, trying to find the best answer for it.

"She just helped me seeing things in another way"

"Which way?"

He shrugged. "It's hard to explain with words, you need to feel"

"Feel?" Payton sounded curious and Troy nodded, "Feel what?"

Troy kissed Gabriella's hand quickly, immediately regretting his actions. If he was lucky enough Payton was not watching them. He knew how his sister could be annoying when he was around other girls.

"Feel things" he rubbed his neck. "I work with my heart most of the time now"

"You're trying to tell me she taught you to see with your _heart_?" Payton teased.

"Basically" he replied casually.

She laughed quietly, "That's weird, Troy"

He smiled at her, "But it worked well, don't you think?"

"Definitely" she agreed.

Payton stood up, "I'm gonna head to my room now" she lied.

She felt curious to know how Troy acted around when she was not home. Obviously it was mean taking advantage of his damaged eyes, but it was for a good reason.

"'Kay" he turned his attention back to Gabriella, "Goodnight Payton"

"Night Troy"

She took a few steps, moving away from the staircase and walking back to the kitchen, "I'm gonna just grab a bottle of water"

He nodded, "I'm gonna wake Gabi up"

"Yeah" Payton nodded too, "That will be good"

Payton held her breath, staying as still as she could, trying not to be noisy at all. She peeked from the kitchen door and as she watched him wake her up – his soft voice calling her name, his smooth hand stroking her hair and cheeks, the intensity in his eyes as she moved and moaned into her sleep to end up awake a few seconds later – she figured out her brother cared about Gabriella very much.

She leaned against the living room wall, not worried they could see her… they seemed to be in their own little world and Gabriella was more asleep than awake anyway. Troy led her to the stairs like a professional, like he could see every bit of the house, her hand safely into his while she yawned and rubbed her tired eyes with her free hand. Payton's eyebrows lifted slightly as he whispered something into _Gabi_'s ear, earning a gentle nod and a smile from her. Smile that he couldn't see, but probably could feel, like he explained her before.

And then, realization hit Payton and she knew why Gabriella could help her brother, why Troy opened up for her and _only_ her. Why he had a grin on his face and his eyes blinked everytime he talked about her or touched her.

She knew – even though she was pretty sure the feeling was not there in the beginning – what they had… what they were _feeling_. Gabriella had taught him to feel her, to go deep inside, to capture her essence. Troy had learned to_ see_ with his heart, and somehow, Payton sighed in relief and a grin appeared on her face.

Troy wasfinally over Molly, but did he figure it out _yet_?


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Still travelling, but my computer is working again, thankfully. I wish you all a great 2009, with great things for all of us! =]

**Disclaimer****: **I own nothing. Enjoy the chapter!

**Feel It**

**Chapter 7:**

"Troy, baby" Payton began, her voice extremely sweet as she touched his cheek. Troy opened his eyes slowly, blinking twice, before smiling to his sister. "I'm heading back to school" she informed him, her voice calm part because she was already missing her baby brother and part because he just woke up, she didn't want to agitate him.

"I'm going to miss you" he gave her a half-smile.

"Ah!" Payton exclaimed, but tried to sound content, "I'm coming back in a few months, I would never leave you alone on the–"

"Hmm" Troy encouraged her to keep talking.

"You know, when you'll do the exams…" she replied quietly, afraid it would make him upset.

Troy sighed deeply. "I'll do it, but just because I have nothing to lose anymore, Pay" he patted her hand that was rested on his stomach and caressed it with his thumb, "But I'm not sad anymore I can't see. It's not that bad living like this, you know?"

"You're not?" she asked, a bit shocked.

"I'm not"

"Wow"

Troy smiled, his perfect white teeth showing, "I'm better than you thought, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess" Payton laughed quietly, lacing her fingers with her brother's, "So, you're playing ball, listening to music, going out, partying"

Troy chuckled. "I was not partying. Gabriella explained it was her parent's anniversary"

"It was a party, anyway"

He smirked, "I guess"

"So you're feeling normal again?" she asked casually and Troy lifted a single eyebrow, "Define normal"

"Full of life?" Payton explained more like a question.

"I feel fine" he shrugged.

"What about dates?"

"What about dates?" he repeated.

"I mean, are you going out with someone?"

Troy bit his lip to avoid laughing, "Sure, I'm dating 2 girls at the same time"

Payton laughed, "P.I.M.P"

He smiled, "Of course I'm not dating anyone"

"Molly?"

"Not dating her" Troy rolled his eyes, "You're annoying you know that?"

"Yes" she smirked, "Why don't you go out with Gabriella then?"

"She's my friend"

"And?"

"And…" Troy couldn't think of a good reason. "When you date someone you need to like the person, don't you think?"

"You don't like Gabriella then?"

"I do" he replied simply. "Very much, but she's my friend"

"Bullshit" Payton murmured to herself, "Have you thought about asking her?"

Troy sat straight on the bed, "Hmm"

"Troy"

"Maybe"

"Why haven't you asked her out then?"

"Because" he began, rubbing his neck nervously, "Hmm"

Payton punched him lightly on the chest, "Come on"

He sighed. "Are you afraid of rejection?"

"No…" Troy replied quickly. "She's my friend, that's it"

"_Chicken_" she teased and stood up, "I gotta go lil bro" she pecked him on the forehead, "I love you very much"

"I know"

She pulled his hair a bit, "Tell me you love me"

Troy laughed and rolled his eyes, "I love you sweetheart"

The girl was almost out of his room when she turned her head back, "Troy?"

"Yes?"

"She is really gorgeous, you know" Payton admitted, "And nice"

"I know that" he hissed. "I can feel it"

Payton smirked, "So if you like her, be fast. A girl like her won't be alone forever"

If it was another time in Troy's life he'd be secure about asking a girl out, but this time, it was something different. He knew he still loved Molly, he used to dream about her almost twice a week. Nightmares. It was all together, the accident, Julian and Molly. Troy would never be able to think about her without linking his accident to it. Obviously he was feeling way better about his situation of not being able to see, but yet, he was hurt, hurt he had to stop school; he couldn't drive fast anymore; seeing the beach...

Those things - even though he could feel most of the things he could do and it made him a bit independent - those things he could never have again. Troy could draw, but he couldn't do any projects for school, he could hear the classes, hear the waves, feel the wind against his face when Gabriella drove, but that was it. And he was tired of seeing her face popping in the darkness that was his life.

Molly would always be his love, he couldn't change it. But Troy could choose who he wanted. He felt good with Gabriella, he could see the _real_ her. Molly was just the outside for him, she was nice, but that was it. He knew he loved her, but yet, he could never really _know_ her. They were friends and she loved Julian, and that would break his heart, but you can't choose who you love. Troy _loved _Molly, Molly _loved_ Julian, like Gabriella _loved_ Ty, even though she tried to hate him, he'd always be important for her.

But, maybe, just _maybe_, they could try to go out, as friends at least. Troy could talk about anything with Gabriella, he touched her and he could feel her emotions, she was so transparent. Even though he couldn't see her eyes, he learned touching her expressions, hearing in her voice, what she _felt_, what she _wanted_, her _necessities_, her _wishes_. He felt like he new her soul.

Before his accident, he would go out with girls for fun, or for looks, but that was the _Old Troy_. The new Troy wanted to capture the essence, not only the face and the body, he wanted something deep, _enough with the superficial_.

It would be a funny side story If Gabriella didn't feel anything for him. Troy obviously had a crush on Gabriella, an innocent crush, _sure_, but yet, he felt something. He liked being with her, maybe his sister was right after all. She always knew what made Troy happy and she never liked Molly.

So maybe it was a good idea.

It probably was, she was the type of girl any guy would like to have. Gabriella seemed to be an angel. She was _his_ angel, helping him when nobody knew how to help. Teaching him to see again, through his heart.

Being patient, trusting him. Listening, feeling, touching… _everything._

If she liked him, maybe he should like her too. Maybe Troy could trust the chemistry they had to be with her. Payton always told him he needed to care about someone that cared about him too. And Gabriella cared about him, just like Troy cared about her.

Suddenly, Troy wanted to make_ his_ pain go away, he wanted to make _her_ pain go away.

He needed to make her forget Ty, be happy again. He wanted to be the one that would put a smile on her face one more time. Troy knew he was the best one for this work. A pleasurable _work_.

Again, Troy felt himself blushing and his heart beating faster. He knew Gabriella thought he was cute and nice, but he felt insecure to ask her out. Chad had said she was gorgeous, Payton too. What If he wasn't good enough? What If she only wanted to be a friend with him because he was… _blind_.

Troy shook his head. That was not Gabriella, he needed to be confident if he was going to ask her out tonight. He remembered Payton's words the first time he decided to tell Molly how he felt, "Girls don't like guys that are insecure" she had told him, but even though girls kept telling him he was beautiful and sweet, he couldn't help but feel nervous everytime he was going to ask someone out. Troy tried to change it, but he couldn't. Maybe it was part of his charm, being _shy_.

And If Gabriella really liked him, the _real_ him, she wouldn't mind if he choked up the words a bit.

That was their time to be happy, _together_.

Decision made, he stood up from his bed, tracing the cold walls with his hand, stepping out of his room, walking to the stairs, slowly going down. The time he made to the living room he could already hear her humming contently in the kitchen, probably making him dinner.

He took a deep breath and stepped inside the huge room, already smelling the food Gabriella was preparing.

"Hey sleepyhead" he heard her voice, softly as always, greeting him.

Troy followed the sound of water, she was probably in front of the sink right now. 'Confidence, confidence' that's all he tried to think. It was so ironic that before he made his decision to ask her out, he could touch, talk, treat her normally and now, Troy felt like a teenager again. Was that a good sign?

"Hey, come here" she lifted her hand to grab his arm gently, feeling his whole body tense, "You're okay? Something's up?"

He shook his head quickly. _Confidence. _

"Gabi"

"Yes" she rubbed his arm up and down, calming him. "What's up?"

Troy took a deep breath, feeling her small and warm hand on his skin, immediately getting calmer. He didn't need to feel nervous, it was Gabriella. He knew her, she wouldn't be cruel. They had a connection, he knew that.

He pushed her gently to rest her back against the skin. Troy heard the sound of her body moving and nodded just once, before placing both of his hands on each side of her body against the sink. He looked into her eyes, the contour of her face clearer now more than ever.

"Look," he sighed and talked really fast, "I'm really nervous right now, so I'll just go straight to the point"

"Okay" Gabriella sounded confused.

"Gabi" he repeated her name again, "I think I have a crush on you"

Her eyes widened slightly but she tried to keep cool, "That sounds so adolescent, Todd"

He couldn't help but smirk. "Well, I feel like a teenager, now" he ran his hand down her arm, capturing her hand and bringing to his chest, "Sweaty hands, heart accelerating. It's all here" his smirk turned into a half-smile, "And I'll probably steal your lunch if you don't say yes to my next question"

Gabriella held her breath, lacing her hand that was on his chest with his own, "Should I be worried?"

"No"

"You won't kill me?"

Troy lifted his eyebrows, feeling more relaxed now. "Do I look like a killer?"

She shook her head, "Nah, too cute" she admitted.

"Serial killers are ugly then?"

"Troy… straight to the point" she reminded him.

He grinned lazily, "Would you like to go out with me?"

"Like a date?"

"Like a date" he teased.

"Yes" she replied casually, maybe too quickly, but she didn't mind.

"First" Troy cupped her face gently, like he always did when he wanted to caress her cheeks with his fingers, "Don't you mind I'm…" he rolled his eyes, "I can't see?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes too before pushing him away delicately, "You're so stupid… of course not"

"Sure?" he stepped closer again.

"Yeah" she replied annoyed.

Troy caressed her cheek slowly, "Then it's a date"

She bit her lip, "It's a date" she agreed.

"Tomorrow, 6PM" he gave Gabriella her favorite playful smile, "I'll pick you up in your room"


	8. Chapter 8

**Feel It**

**Chapter 8:**

"So, are we going out?" Gabriella asked during lunch, ignoring the fact Troy wanted to make a surprise about their date.

"Gabriella, I won't say a thing"

"I was just asking because I need to put gas" she whined lightly, "I need to know where we're going to dress properly"

Troy sighed annoyed, capturing her hand on top of the table and lacing their fingers, "Will you relax for a second? It's just a date"

"It's not, Troy" she admitted, biting her lip, "It's my first date after Ty"

He nodded quietly, his thumb caressing her skin delicately, "Trust me, I'll make sure it's special then"

"Okay" she smiled a bit, "What you want to do now?"

"I want you to go to your room and take a nap. Chad's coming over and I need you out of the way"

"Hey!" Gabriella protested but Troy smirked, "Please Gabi"

"Uh, I'm gone" she stood up, brushing his hair playfully before walking out of the kitchen.

"And close the door!" Troy yelled after her, earning a groan from Gabriella that made him laugh. He loved when she was irritated.

Chad arrived ten minutes later to help Troy out with his plan to take Gabriella on a perfect date. He needed her to have fun or she would end up traumatized about dates for the rest of her life.

Troy was craving for her happiness since he made the decision to ask her out, and every little thing had to be perfect. He wanted to make her smile so badly.

Making Gabriella smile was as important as breathing for him right now.

Considering he couldn't drive, and when he asked a girl out, he made sure he'd pick her up and take her back safely, Chad agreed when Troy said he would order the dinner for the two of them instead of letting Gabriella take them someplace to dinner. He didn't want to feel frustrate tonight, Troy wanted everything to seem as normal as ever, like all the other dates he had before his accident.

Enjoying the nice weather in Albuquerque that day, Troy and Chad fixed a small table in the garden, next to the pool, where he was planning to eat with her after hearing that tonight would be a clear night, with the sky full of starts.

Of course, Chad used the words "gay" and "pussy" and a few other adjectives to mock his best friend after he explained that he was only trying to be romantic for Gabriella. Troy didn't care at all, that was probably the price to have Chad help him out.

The fact Troy couldn't see and Chad was not romantic at all made him nervous, he wanted to ask someone's opinion, preferably a _girl's_ opinion, but it was impossible to ask Gabriella about her own surprise date. It didn't make sense.

After buying her flowers with Chad, ordering the food, cleaning the house and getting the backyard ready for his date, Troy finally went upstairs to take a shower and start dressing up. Chad stayed - _again_ - to help him pick out his clothes. When everything was ready and looked fine (at least in Chad's opinion that Troy didn't take in consideration, like… _never_) he obliged his best friend to take a picture of him and the backyard with his cell phone and sent Payton.

It was only after he finished talking with his sister, that she made sure everything looked perfect and he was gorgeous that he sent Chad home. His alarm went off, telling him it was already 6PM and it was time.

Troy took a deep breath and knocked on her door. A few minutes of waiting and his heart was already flipping inside his chest. Did she change her mind?

Gabriella opened her door, murmuring a curse to herself after bumping into the edge of the bed. As soon as her eyes studied Troy her mouth dropped open a bit and she couldn't help but feel lucky she had a gorgeous date tonight.

He constantly had that boyish look but tonight, she realized he looked more mature in those black jeans and white shirt unbuttoned halfway down his chest. One thing she was sure, boyish look or mature look, it didn't matter. Troy was always beautiful.

She looked him up and down again, shocked how tall he looked tonight and even though she was using heels again, she was not sure if she could even reach his chin.

"Hey, you're ready?" he rubbed his hands together, visibly nervous.

"Yes" Gabriella said in a whisper, still contemplating his beauty.

Troy smiled at her, stepping closer to cup her cheek, "I don't even need to see you to know you look great"

"You're such a liar" she joked and he pulled her to a hug. "I never lie" he whispered in her ear, making Gabriella giggle a bit.

"So, should we go? I have everything planned for us"

"Where we're going?"

"Not too far" he grinned, walking downstairs with her hand already in his.

"Do I need to get my car keys?"

"No" Troy lifted his eyebrows and smirked pulling her out the door to the light backyard, "I planned everything for you"

As soon as Gabriella stepped in the backyard she had a huge smile on her face. The stars were bright tonight and a crescent moon hung above the sky, serenely shining upon a peaceful Albuquerque.

"Troy… _wow_"

His heart raced fast as soon as he _could hear_ the smile on her voice. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply, feeling the nightly air blew at ease, cool and calm. Gabriella looked at him for a few seconds, the starts that were dotting the heavens, blinked and illuminated Troy's face slightly, changing him from a human being to a God in a matter of seconds.

It was only now that Gabriella realized she had a crush on him too. She held her breath and let go of his hand, biting her lip to avoid thinking about her emotions. If there was one thing she was sure she couldn't do, was fall in love with Troy Bolton. Even though she knew he was completely different than Ty, she was afraid of getting hurt again, being sad all over again.

All afternoon when she was alone in her room, she couldn't help but think if it was a good idea to say yes to his invitation. Both of them went through so much, what if they were wrong about what they were feeling?

She loved being with him and touching him, but Gabriella had no idea if it was more than friendship after all. She couldn't ignore she still had feelings about Ty. She knew she shouldn't, but she was never able to say no to her heart.

And once again, she was following her heart, like she did when she met Ty. Hopefully this time she wouldn't get hurt.

Troy licked his lower lip quickly, shifting his hands in his pockets, "Do you like it? I'm starting to get scared you won't say a thing"

Gabriella grinned, knowing in that moment Troy was nothing like Ty. Her ex boyfriend was always cocky and only thought about himself in the first place. Troy on the contrary, he was always preoccupied with what she was going to think or feel.

"It's beautiful" she managed to whisper and laughed quietly when he sighed in relief, "I can't believe you planned everything"

He took one of his hands out of his pocket and brushed the side of her face, "I told you I would make it special"

They ate and talked for what felt like ages, just trying to know the other better. Gabriella told him she was afraid of him growing on her and when Cassidy was back she'd suffer all over again, but Troy made her laugh a bit after telling her that he would probably need a baby sitter for the rest of his life.

"You remember what you told me?" he asked as they stood up and Troy offered his hand to her.

"I guess I say lots of things" Gabriella joked and slipped her small hand in his large one.

"Take things slowly, one day at a time" Troy whispered to her, bringing her closer to his body to smell her hair, "I won't disappoint you, Gabi. You don't have to be afraid to feel something for me"

She wrapped her arms around his waist, hiding her face on his chest and smelling his cologne, "Okay"

Troy rested his chin on her head, rubbing her back delicately, "So, I have a surprise for you"

Gabriella looked up, "You do?"

He smirked, "Yeah"

He pulled her inside the house again, one of his hands in hers and the other tracing the walls and furniture to take him to the right place. As soon as Gabriella locked eyes with Troy's grey grand piano that was cross the living room, she smiled. He was going to play for her.

"I thought you forgot about it"

"I was just saving my music for the best opportunity" he informed her casually, sitting on the piano bench and tapping his side, "come here"

Gabriella sat on his side, watching him with adoration.

"You want something modern?" he asked, a grin appearing on his face as he played the first keys of "If I Ain't Got You" from Alicia Keys.

Gabriella giggled, but didn't have the strength to stop his beautiful melody, even though she knew exactly what she had been waiting so much to hear him play. The music suddenly stopped as Troy's fingers left the keyboard and he tilted his head to the side, once again, his eyes so intense Gabriella could swear he was seeing her.

"Sometimes I ask myself if you're not teasing me" she admitted softly.

"Why?" he asked in almost a whisper.

"Your eyes…" she sighed, "They don't look blind"

Troy smiled and his hand lifted up, to brush her hair gently, "I found out I don't need eyes to see the _real_ you"

Gabriella sighed contently, "You play beautifully"

"But that's not what you wanted to hear"

"That's not what I wanted to hear" she agreed, unable to stop the smile forming on her lips.

"Hmm" Troy smirked, turning his attention to the keyboards again, "Let me introduce you to Claude, then"

"Yes… please"

He licked his lower lip, the same playful smiling Gabriella was wearing curling up in his lips, "It felt like ages since I had last played" he told her, his voice as soft as silk.

Troy closed his eyes – there was no need to keep them opened – he knew every key by heart. He has been a fan of Debussy for so long that when the first note echoed in the living room, Gabriella felt like the composition could belong to Troy, because he seemed so comfortable playing it.

"Clair de Lune" he informed her, his head slightly moving back and forth as his large fingers skimmed gracefully over the ivory keys.

Gabriella sighed contently, getting lost in the notes as he continued playing flawlessly. The intimacy between Troy and the keys, Troy and the music, Troy and Debussy was something that collapsed into Gabriella like an indescribable feeling. She had no words at all to describe what she was feeling right now. Peace, companionship, inspiration… every little thing made Troy look so _angelic_ in her eyes.

The song eventually drifted to an end as the final chords shifted from a more intense key to a soft one till there was no sound in the room anymore, only the sound of their heavy breaths piercing the silence.

He turned his head to her, a tiny smile appearing on his face as he touched Gabriella's face with his warm hand, his thumb caressing her cheek ever so delicately. She sighed quietly, closing her eyes as his thumb caressed her lips.

She shut her eyes tighter, feeling his lips resting on hers slowly, caressing it, making her feel butterflies inside her stomach. Gabriella moved her lips slightly apart and Troy gently nibbled on her lower lip, teasing her, craving for her body to respond his.

Gabriella breathed nervously against his lips and Troy slowly ran his hand through her hair, taking his time to feel her, to connect with her.

"Troy" she whimpered in a whisper and he smiled into the kiss, tilting his head to the side to kiss her in earnest now. His lips were moist, so soft and minty and the way his tongue curled with hers made Gabriella feel dizzy.

The way his lips moved on hers was so passionate, that she could swear her emotions would pop out anytime now. Ty was out of her mind, he was dragged to the back of her head along with her fears and insecurities. Troy and Gabriella's first kiss was memorable, it effect were long lasting. Both of them were transformed after that.

Eventually they pulled away, their tongues letting go of the other, their lips reluctantly moving away.

"I don't know how the same hands you play ball play music so beautifully" Gabriella said after finding her voice again, feeling completely inspired by him, _in all ways._

Troy studied her tone of voice, lifting his eyebrows as a playful smile appeared on his face again, "Thanks"

"And that was the perfect first kiss" she informed him casually.

He smirked, "I'm glad you enjoyed it much as I did"

* * *

**A/N:** It's raining so much here, so I'm stuck in my hotel room. I feel frustrated like Gabriella in Brotherly Love when she didn't go to Cambridge hahaha There's this place I want so much to go but the rain isn't helping at all. At least Gabby had her Troy... My Troy, aka my boyfriend, is sleeping! uh.... i feel bored lol


	9. Chapter 9

A/N--- Well, I guess writing 'Through It All' is helping me some way... I finally finished my next chapter, ha. I've been having so many problems with this one, because I don't know if I'm going way too fast with them, or just letting Troy and Gabriella enjoy what they're feeling and heal with the other's help... I think I'll have to wait and see what you guys think of it, too. Hopefully, you'll like it. I did... but something's got me worried... I guess that's just Molly, hahaha. Anyways, thanks so much for the ones that are reading my story and my other story too, I guess. Thanks for always being so supportive. Anyway, enough with that, don't forget to share your thoughts with me. =]

* * *

**Feel It**

**Chapter 9:**

_Breathe_ and have _confidence_.

_Breathe _and have _confidence._

_Breathe _and have _confidence. _

Troy repeated the same line multiple times as he walked with Gabriella to Chad's place to his birthday party. All his friends were going to be there and he couldn't feel more nervous. Of course having Gabriella with him would help a lot, but it was just he treated all his friends so bad a few months ago. They had tried to be in touch with him, to know how he was dealing with his accident and his situation, but Troy was always so rude, he was so rebel that time that he felt embarrassed right now. He had no idea how his friends were going to react or if they were going to forgive him for his bad manners.

Troy went out only twice in two months and now he was in a party, a college party, like the one he went the last time he could see. He was not ready to go to a crowded place, but it was time to continue his life. Gabriella had been helping him a lot, to take things slowly, but go straight forward. And he was tired of being scared all the time. If Gabriella didn't mind he couldn't see, his friends wouldn't mind as well. They wouldn't criticize Troy or mock him. If they were his real friends, everything would be fine.

Chad was not the one that opened the door and like Troy imagined, his head started spinning with the loud music and the smell of alcohol and people chatting. He was not an antisocial; he was just not used to partying anymore. But this time Troy was not alone, he felt Gabriella hold his hand and he knew he would be okay. He could deal with it as long as he had her.

"Are you okay?" she asked as soon as she stopped walking, finding an empty spot in the corner of the living room.

He nodded quietly, wrapping his arms around her waist and stepping closer to her, "I'm just a little anxious"

"Don't be" she whispered, stroking his cheek, "I won't leave you alone, okay?"

"I'm not letting go of you Gabi" he smiled, resting his chin on her head as she hid her face on his neck, kissing his skin delicately, "Hmm I like your kisses"

Gabriella giggled, "I like yours too" she looked up, pulling his face down to kiss him on the lips.

"Yo, hoops! You came!" Chad tapped Troy on the back, a little too rough, making him bump into Gabriella.

"Sorry babe" he whispered in her ear, rubbing her back slowly.

Ignoring the flip that her stomach did and the acceleration in her heart, she just nodded quickly.

"Happy birthday dude" Troy turned around, giving Chad a quick hug and patting him on the back, "we're not staying for too long, we just came to see you"

"Hi Montez" Chad said with a smirk. "You still need to teach me how you steal the ball so well"

Gabriella giggled, "It's a secret, Danforth" she gave him a hug too, "Happy birthday"

"Thanks, guys" Chad placed one arm on Troy's shoulder, pulling him with him, "The gang wants to see you"

Troy looked back at Gabriella but she giggled making him smile, "everything's okay"

Gabriella had never, ever seen a bunch of muscular tall guys squealing like little teenagers like she was seeing right now. It was like they were seeing their idol for the first time. Seriously, she thought they were going to cry anytime now.

Troy's friends were freaking out he was there in front of them. A really tall black skinned boy threw his beer away to pull Troy to a hug, lifting him off the floor and squeezing him like he was a little baby. Another friend that was probably 5'9' black hair and rosy cheeks joined them in the hug, yelling like a cheerleader. The last one to join the hug was a thin boy, not too tall, blond hair, baby face and pink hat.

"Girls, girls, let me breathe" Troy joked, pulling out of the hug. "God, I thought you guys were breaking my bones"

Chad laughed hard, turning back to look at Gabriella, "They're pretty entertaining, right?"

The girl was still shocked with their behavior, "Definitely" she giggled.

"Gabi" Troy raised his hand and she quickly stepped forward to grab his hand, "Let me introduce you to the _Three Stooges_" he smiled playfully at her, "Zeke" he pointed to the dark skinned boy, "Jason" now to the black haired with rosy cheeks, "And Ryan" he pulled her closer to him, "Guys, this is Gabriella"

And the squealing began _again_. In a matter of seconds Troy's friends had Gabriella in their arms, throwing her in the air and thanking the "Miracle Girl" like she was some kind of a God that needed to be worshiped.

"I can't believe we met the Miracle Girl" Zeke exclaimed contently, finally putting her back on the ground.

"It's not Miracle Girl, dude" Jason slapped him on the back of his head, "It's Wonder Woman"

"Guys, you're freaking Montez out" Chad pulled her away from the hyper boys and pushed her back to Troy, "Stay there before they capture you again"

Troy safely wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and whispered "I'm sorry" on her ear. Gabriella just giggled; Troy's friends were really something.

"Zeke, Jase, Ry, I'm sorry I was not a great friend a few months back" he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "I was not ready to see you guys"

"Hoops, nothing happened" Ryan certified him.

"Yeah, captain, everything's fine" Jason patted him on the arm, "We're glad you're here"

Zeke stepped closer to the couple again and kissed Gabriella's cheeks, "Thanks for helping him out" he said sincerely, "We were missing our friend"

She blushed, "It's my pleasure, Zeke"

"So" Chad began again and Troy and Gabriella turned around, only to be met with an enormous shit-eating grin, "You guys are together now?"

"Dude" Troy shook his head, snickering lightly. "Stop being nosy"

"You heard the hoops" Ryan nudged Chad with his elbow, "Stop being nosy"

"Ry, you're not suppose to call Troy hoops, that's my nickname for him"

Ryan rubbed his head embarrassed, "Sorry, man"

"No problem dude" they hugged quickly, "It's all good"

"They're hugging right?" Troy asked Gabriella and she giggled, "Some things never change"

She squeezed his hand that was on her stomach and he smiled, kissing her cheek, "Let's get something to drink"

"Make sure you come back later, eh Hoops"

"Sure Chad, see you guys later"

They walked away from the guys and came back to their empty spot with two bottles of water. Gabriella couldn't drink because she was driving and Troy like a perfect gentleman he was, decided he wasn't going to drink if she was not too. They tried to talk and danced a little, Troy chatted with his friends but after two hours, he realized he was officially tired of the partying scene.

"Hey, I'm going to the bathroom, okay?" Gabriella asked and he nodded, "You stay here, please"

"Can we go home when you come back?"

She stroked his cheek, "Is everything okay?"

He nodded. "I just wanna go home"

"Okay" Gabriella pecked him on the cheek, "I won't take long"

Troy leaned against the wall, smiling to himself as he heard Zeke and Jason yelling through the wall. He looked down, playing with his fingers and shaking his head back and forth in different patterns to the rhythm of the music.

"I can't believe Troy Bolton is really here!"

He looked up, his heart starting to race as faster as the music when he recognized her voice, "Oh, hey Molly"

She stepped closer, swinging her hips seductively, "I missed seeing you in a party!"

"Yeah" he gave her a tiny smile, "It's my first one after the accident"

"And why aren't you dancing?" she asked, grabbing his hands to pull him out of the wall, "Come, let's shake your body"

"No, I'm okay, thanks" he let go of her hands and rubbed his neck nervously, "I'm waiting for Gabriella"

"Oh....... are you guys together?"

"Hmm… kind of" Troy admitted, blushing, "How's Julian?"

"He is out of town" Molly looked down and grabbed Troy's hand again, "I thought you liked me"

He shrugged. "You have someone else Molly, it's time for me to move on"

"You moved on really quickly" she snapped, her tone of voice hard. "Chad said what you felt for me was strong"

Troy got embarrassed, "Listen, Gabi's coming back and we're heading home"

"You guys are living together?" she sounded shocked. Apparently she didn't seem to know Gabriella was Troy's "baby-sitter".

"She's staying with me for two months"

"Is it that serious?"

Troy smiled a bit, "we were friends" he looked down again, "It's actually our second date, but she's really nice"

"Ah" Molly exclaimed contently. She didn't like being jealous and Troy was always there for her and she was sure if he fell in love with Gabriella, she would lose him forever.

Troy shifted his hand in his pockets, "So, how's everything?"

"Good" Molly replied, feeling the need to be closer to him. "I missed you"

"I'll be joining the gang more often" he promised and smiled, "I've been through a lot"

Molly sighed deeply. "I know, Troy, I wanted to help"

"You couldn't" he replied between clenched teeth, thinking about the accident all over again.

She touched his face and Troy felt his skin burn, but before she could say anything, her phone started vibrating in her back pocket and she excused herself, kissing him on the cheek and giving him a hug - that sent shockwaves through his body - and walking away.

Troy leaned against the wall again and closed his eyes, sighing deeply. He couldn't help but wonder if Molly did really sound jealous or was just his mind playing tricks on him.

"Hey, sorry I took so long" Gabriella's soft voice came from beside him and he turned his face quickly, bringing her to his body again, "Troysie, you're okay?"

He nodded into her neck, placing a sweet kiss on her cheek. "Let's get out of here, please"

"Are you sure?" she sounded worried, "Did something happen?"

"I just wanna go Gabi" he whispered into her ear, "I wanna be alone with you"

She smiled. "Okay, let's go"

Troy was silent all the way back home, but Gabriella thought he was just tired. They stopped to buy a pizza and took it home. As they finished eating, Troy found himself in the middle of a conversation with Gabriella, the way Molly acted at the party no longer bugging him. He found out when he was with Gabriella, there was no one left in the world for him, it was just the two of them.

He lay on the carpet in the TV room, waiting for Gabriella to pick one of the movies from his collection and put on. She chose a girly movie, "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" and lay on his side, snuggling into his muscular body, letting Troy hear the movie in his head while he caressed her arm.

Gabriella was quickly bored, considering she had watched the movie 10 times, she looked up at Troy and he was smirking, probably hearing Kate Hudson singing "You're so Vain". But for Troy was easy to concentrate on the movie, he had no eyes to see Gabriella like she could see him.

She was constantly hypnotized by his beauty, his hair that would make her want to stroke it every time he was close, his intense eyes that could see her soul, his firm lips that looked so delicious. Before Gabriella could think of what she was doing, she was already straddling Troy, kissing him with all her hunger. For a second Troy flinched, her emotions too deep that confused him, but then he responded the kiss with the same passion she was sending him. His hands stroked up and down her back and their tongues were engaged in a loving duel.

Their light and gentle kisses soon became rough and wild yet still passionate as their tongues struggled for supremacy. Sparks flew from both of them and a crack of electricity finally forced them apart.

"Troy" Gabriella whimpered against his mouth and he nodded just once, moving to a sitten position with her still in his lap. She quickly pulled his shirt over his head, sighing contently as her eyes studied his bare chest, her hand stroking his abs gently, "You're so beautiful"

She kissed him again and Troy's large hands went to her waist, bringing her closer to his body. Gabriella wrapped her arms around his waist, their bodies brushing against the other in the same rhythm their tongues were in their mouths. Gabriella ran her hand gently over his skin, while her mouth worked on his neck, sucking the skin so hard she knew he would have some love marks the day after. She ran her mouth up his neck, across his jaw and found his mouth again, sliding her hands around his neck, nestling them in the hair at the nape of his neck. She deepened the kiss, the tip of her tongue slipping inside Troy's mouth again.

Troy let out a soft moan, but he pulled away. His fingertips were still pushing into her hips as he held her, his blue eyes blinking with lust as he looked at her, "I can't see you, it's so frustrating"

The movie came to an end and Gabriella turned back to press the power button on the remote control, turning off the TV. The silence filled the room and Troy looked down, feeling really disappointed.

A minute had passed when Gabriella grabbed his hand, "Feel me Troy," she said in a whisper, her tongue tracing his collarbone, "If you can't use your eyes, use your hands to see me"

He looked up at her and once again she saw the lust in his eyes. Gabriella brought both of his hands to the bottom of her t-shirt and helped him pull it over her head in one swift movement. She unclasped her bra and took it off, placing Troy large hands on her stomach, "do you feel this?"

He nodded and began to stroke her skin with his fingertips, always so gently and delicately, earning soft moans from Gabriella. She rested her hand on top of his, helping him to get on her breasts, "Touch me here, Troy"

Troy cupped her breasts, caressing her erect nipples with his hands, "Like this?"

"Mm hmm" she closed her eyes, her nails stroking his neck gently, "Oh that feels so good"

She ran her hand down his chest and abs, her nails tracing his skin furiously, till it got to the button of his jeans. Gabriella licked Troy's lower lip, while his hands were still touching her bare breasts, sending shockwaves through Gabriella's whole body, making her feel so wet she could swear her panties would be flooding.

"Help me, baby" she whispered in his ear, and Troy knew what she was trying to say, she wanted his jeans out of him, and considering the anxiety in her tone of voice, she wanted now.

She lifted her body up, just a bit and he quickly pulled his pants down, kicking his shoes off to make the jeans fly off his body. Gabriella grinned when she realized he was so affected by the situation like she was.

"Hold still" she demanded, and pulled his boxers down his legs, letting his erection free. As Gabriella's hand rested on his manhood, another groan caught her attention. She looked up and Troy had his eyes shut hard, he was chewing on his bottom lip to avoid screaming at the pleasure her hands were giving him as she rubbed his member up and down, putting some pressure on the head, to tease him like he had teased her during their first kiss... it was payback time.

Gabriella kissed his neck again, her tongue running slowly down his throat to his collarbone and then his chest, abs, belly button, till her attention was on his erect member. Her body craved for his, but she wanted to take her time to really know his body.

Troy moaned softly as she started caressing him with just a thumb and a forefinger curled around his shaft. She traced every bit of his penis, taking in with her eyes the light green veins that were popping from his white skin. Troy had the most beautiful body Gabriella had ever seen.

He felt her lick, slowly, approving the material, like she was licking a delicious ice cream that she was afraid would be over before she could really taste it.

"Do you feel it Troysie?" she asked, her eyes gazing up at him, but her mouth never moving an inch.

"That feels so good" he admitted fragilely, running his hand through her hair. And then, he felt her suck, gently and then harder, her breasts moving against his legs as she moved to suck him at the head, amazingly good, was all he could think as she went faster, taking him deeper in her mouth, in her own pleasure........ Gabriella wanted to blow his mind, to make him feel by her actions how satisfied she was to be there with him right now.

Troy didn't act blind at all that night, not after the blowjob Gabriella gave him. As she looked for his mouth again, to curl up their tongues in another earthshaking kiss, he undid her button, pushing her jeans down, like she had done with him a while ago, letting her free for him, to explore, to feel and touch her whole body.

His agile hand pushed her forward on his lap by the small of her back and Troy started rubbing her clit hard against the root of his penis.

"I love how you feel against me" his impatient penis pressed against her vagina, and he licked across her jaw with the tip of his tongue, "You're the most beautiful person, inside and out, I have ever met, Gabriella" his voice sounded so softly soothing, "Thanks for bringing me back to life"

Gabriella's eyes got teary at his words, with her feelings, as her body shook as his penis began to slid inside of her, bringing magic, putting all the pieces of the puzzle together, the puzzle that was her heart.... her heart that now was his.

And then, they_ connected_, once more, physically............. this time.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N---Alright, so the story is almost over, I just need to work on the grand finale haha … I hope you guys like this chapter and I'll be back in a few days to put the other up! Be good and have a nice weekend! =]

**Feel It**

**Chapter 10:**

Two weeks later, Troy was completely used to be sleeping with Gabriella. She was just everywhere with him, it was impossible to get rid of her, and he didn't want. He was a hundred percent sure he was in love with her, everything about Gabi fascinated him, everyday that he learned something different about her, it would bright his day.

Troy Bolton always loved learning, it was one of his favorite hobbies, but learning about Gabriella or with Gabriella, was the most fun thing in his life now. He found himself eager to be an expert on that subject, too.

One of the things that would drive him crazy was the fact she would always sing when they had sex, not during sex, obviously, just the day after. Somehow, even though she was the laziest person Troy have ever met, every time they had sex, she'd wake up early, in the mood for a big breakfast – eggs, ham, bacon and pancakes – and she sang!

She would never sing, not even when she was taking a shower and he had been very perceptive about her to realize if she did. Gabriella could hum, but never really sing. But when they had sex, something magical happened and she would get inspired to even express herself with songs…

And the funny part of it, what made Troy more anxious to have sex with her every night if possible - beyond the fact he loved being with her, to taste her kisses, feel her hands, hear her moans and how her body reacted to him – was her playlist. She sang, unconsciously, songs that had a sexual content. Troy had all of her choices written on a notebook in his room, just to save it. He could still remember the first song she sang while cooking breakfast, first morning they woke up together in the same bed – _Smack That_.

They had been arguing the whole morning about the song, Gabriella was completely sure Akon didn't mean to make the music sound sexual, she even said she never realized it talked about sex. They ended up having sex again, with the music in the background, and after that, she realized it was _all_ about _sex_.

Today as he stood up from the empty bad, he couldn't help but have a huge grin on his face as he walked downstairs, wondering what she'd be singing today; Troy could already hear her in the kitchen. He took a few steps to get him to the room and waited, he loved to surprise her.

"You're the one who makes me come running, you're the sun who makes me shine" her voice came from the kitchen and if he used his imagination and pushed his eyes to its limit, he could see her contours while she danced concentrated, partly because she was still cooking, partly because Gabriella would forget most of the song's lyrics, always, so she needed to concentrate while singing. Something that he learned about her too… something that he loved about her, _too_.

"When you're around I'm always laughing, I want to make you mine" Gabriella continued contently, still oblivious Troy was _watching_ and hearing her. Troy frowned; he didn't seem to know this song, and he always knew all songs she sang. And, curiously, it didn't seem to be a sexual song either, maybe he was wrong, maybe his theory was failing today…

"I close my eyes and see you before me, think I would die if you were to ignore me" she shook her hips and her head at the same time and added another part of the lyrics, "A fool could see, just how much I adore you, I get down on my knees I do anything for you"

Troy grinned, he knew the song now. And he knew where the chorus would take her. He laughed quietly as she continued the song, always sounding so satisfied, "I don't want anybody else, when I think about you I touch myself, oooh I don't want anybody else"

Before she continued, he walked to her, wrapping his arms around her from behind, nuzzling his nose against her neck, "That's a very naughty song, baby" he teased, "And again, my theory is correct, you sing after sex"

Gabriella turned around, blushing hard, "It's not a sexual song"

He raised one eyebrow, "I love myself, I want you to love me, when I feel down..." he smirked, "I want you above me?" he recited the lyrics for her, "Yeah, you're right, baby" he said sarcastically, "It's not sexual at all"

"I, uhm—oh, shit" she murmured, making Troy laugh harder, "Shut up, Todd"

"Aw, Graziella" he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer, "I think it's cute, love… I swear"

"You're so stupid, Troysie" Gabriella giggled, standing on her tip toes to brush her lips against Troy's.

"Yeah, but you adore my stupidity" he touched his forehead on hers and added, "And I adore you, more and more everyday"

Gabriella giggled, again, kissing him lightly on the lips, letting Troy lift her body off the floor to kiss her deeper. She wrapped her arms around his neck and, almost crawling on his arms, her legs around his waist. Their kiss became faster, more passionate and less innocent.

Troy parted his lips slightly, moaning gently just a second before Gabriella's tongue slipped inside his mouth again, curling up with his own tongue.

_Beep! _

_Beep!! _

_Beep!!! _

A loud and constant beeping noise filled the kitchen; Gabriella jumped out of Troy's arms immediately, murmuring a couple of 'no's' while she flipped the pancakes in the frying pan.

"Oh, crap" she whimpered, "You made me burn my pancakes, Troysie"

"I'm sorry" he pouted slightly, like a little kid and Gabriella melted; she sighed deeply and hugged him by the waist, "It's okay… I'll pretend nothing happened"

He chuckled, "I can take you out for breakfast"

Gabriella shook her head, pulling him by the arm out of the kitchen and to the stairs, "Nah, now you're going to pay me back for this"

"Oh" he smirked, sensing what she wanted, "And what do I have to do, then?"

She pushed him back on the bed as soon as she got to his room, crawling on the bed as well, sitting on his stomach, "Ah, you're gonna have to inspire me all over again, I'm feeling the need to eat pancakes today"

Troy pulled her closer, sliding her top up, revealing her breasts, "Will you have another song for later?"

"You have no idea how many songs I know"

* * *

Two hours later they had forgot about the breakfast and after having sex twice, Gabriella had drifted to sleep and Troy found the little noises she did while sleeping so attractive he didn't find the strength to wake her up. He placed a sweet kiss on her bare back, smiling to himself as she searched with her hand, even asleep, his body next to her.

Troy caught her hand that she rested on his naked chest and kissed it gently, before slowly rolling her over him to stand up. He grabbed his boxers that were right next to his side of bed and dressed it again. Not needing to trace with his hands the walls anymore he went downstairs and into the living room, ready to go back to the kitchen and cook her the breakfast. It wouldn't be anything fancy, nor the great food Gabriella fed him, but it would still be made with love.

He stopped in the middle of his way to the kitchen as the doorbell rang; Troy let out a groan, if it was Chad or any of the guys to disturb his moment alone with Gabriella he would freak out and probably stab them to death. He stepped closer to the door, placing both of his palms on the wood material.

"Who's there?" he asked, firmly.

"Troy?" he knew that voice, his heart started racing, "It's Molly, open up"

He swallowed, but opened the door, letting her get inside the house. Troy shut the door behind him and leaned against it, following with his eyes her heavy footsteps; they were nothing like Gabriella's, she could fly instead of walk.

"Hey Molls, what's up?"

"I broke up with Julian" Molly said discouraged, but yet, her voice had a victorious tone. Troy was completely lost.

"Are you feeling okay? Can I help you with something?"

"Yes, you can" she replied simply, sitting down on the couch. Molly gazed up to the half-naked Troy and held her breath, she never realized Troy had such a great body.

"Hmm—sorry, did I wake you?"

"Oh damn it" Troy blushed hard, "Can you wait here? I'm gonna get a shirt"

"No" Molly gasped, "No, please. It's not necessary. Can you sit with me, please?"

Molly found herself mouth opened when Troy sat right beside her, not bumping into any furniture. Did he have the surgery already?

"You sure walk well around here"

He smiled proudly, "Gabriella taught me"

"Ah, Gabriella" she rolled her eyes and captured his hand in hers, "Troy, I need to tell you something…"

He breathed deeply to control the butterflies inside his stomach and chocked out a simple "Okay"

"I broke up with Julian" she began, stroking his cheek softly, "because I think I'm in love with you"

The butterflies seemed to run madly inside his whole body now, but Troy's head kept spinning fast at Molly's revelation. His heart beat slowed and he felt dizzy; Troy had been waiting for so long to hear these words. But wait, he needed to control his feelings, control his body. Why was she doing this to him now? After all the time Troy was after her, now that he was happy with Gabriella she came back? That wasn't possible, Molly was probably playing around.

"I beg your pardon?" he asked again.

"I love you, Troy" Molly repeated, more fervently this time. "I have always loved you, but I guess I had to see you with another girl to realize that"

Oh, that was it. She was jealous of Gabriella.

"This is…" Troy struggled to find the words, "Really selfish, Molls"

"What?!"

"Yes, I mean" he let go of her hand and rubbed the back of his neck, "I've been crazy about you for so long, but you never wanted me" he sighed in pain, remembering all the time he felt heartbroken seeing her with Julian. "And now that I'm happy, you just can't do this, Molly, this is wrong… you can't keep playing with my feelings"

"But I really love you" she protested. "I do"

Troy nodded his head, "You really do? And why is that?"

"Because you're beautiful and nice, and you always been there for me" she said softly, reaching to touch his face again. "And I die inside when I see you with Gabriella"

Troy shook his head, but was unable to stop the tiny smiling that was appearing on his lips; "and you have a gorgeous smile" she added, playfully.

"I'm with someone else, now" Troy said effortlessly. "I'm in love with her"

"You're _in love_ with her…" Molly said, her voice awfully painful, "But you _love_ me" she almost begged, "Stay with me if you love me…"

He bit the top of his lips, "I—uhm, I still feel something for you… but I feel something for Gabriella, too. Something strong"

"Stay with me" Molly asked tenderly. "We're gonna be so happy together"

His heart began beating faster again and his stomach tied up in knots.

"Gabriella's sleeping upstairs" he sighed, "Can I talk to you later? I need to think about it, Molls"

"Yeah, I can wait…" she smiled and kissed him on the cheek, letting the burning sensation on his skin as she pulled away, "I love you, don't forget it"

"'Kay"

Troy tilted his head back and rested against the couch, taking two deep breaths as he heard the door being shut again. He closed his eyes, feeling his heart ache. He needed to make a decision about his personal life. Troy never thought he would be in this position… he never wanted to be in this position. Only knowing he would lose one of the girls he loved in the end of the day would break his heart and want to make him puke.

"Hey, you left me alone in bed!" Gabriella's soft voice came as a whimper and then a giggle as she sat on his lap, "I missed you" she buried her head on his neck and inhaled his scent.

"I missed you too" he wrapped his arms around her waist, tightly, not really wanting to let her go. "I missed you very much"

Gabriella stroked his hair gently, "Is everything okay? You seem tense"

"I am" he snapped tiredly, sighing again. "Molly was here"

"Okay… and?"

Troy looked down and Gabriella bit her lip, she knew something was wrong. She could sense it.

"Molly said she loves me, Gabi"

She felt the disappointment begin to pierce her heart, and whatever had held them together so far, slowly began to give away. Troy was genuinely confused about his feelings and she could see that in his eyes. Gabriella could feel she was no longer the only one that was on his mind.

"I don't give a shit about what she feels Troy" she admitted bitterly, "I just want to know how you feel" Gabriella added softly. "Tell me what you think about it"

"I love you"

"But…?" Gabriella encouraged him to keep speaking.

"No buts. I love you" Troy concluded, but she knew he was omitting information just to make her feel good.

"But you love her, too"

"Gabriella---"

She interrupted him, "Are you 100 percent sure you don't love her?"

"Gabi… please" Troy touched his forehead to hers, breathing heavily against her mouth, "Please…"

"Just answer me, Troy… I need to know"

"Don't do this to yourself" he pleaded, but Gabriella shook her head, "Are you 100 percent sure you don't love her anymore? Don't lie to me, please"

"No"

Gabriella felt a shudder go through her body and tried to hide her disappointment, but she failed and the lump in her heart kept getting bigger and bigger as he tried to explain himself. Gabriella knew Troy couldn't help her now, he wasn't in condition to even help himself… Ignoring the pain in her chest, she firmly held his hand to make him stop talking nonsense.

"You love her, Troy" she said, and bit her tongue as the pain that tore through her body and soul was too much, "I won't stop you to go for her, you've been wanting her so long"

"No, Gabriella" he laced their fingers, bringing his twined fingers to stroke her cheek, "I wanna be with you"

"I won't be able to pick myself off the ground if you're with me and in a few months you realize it's not me you want" Gabriella threw her arms around his neck, enfolding him in a shaking embrace, "I won't be selfish this time" she whispered in his ear, "you are free to go, Troy"

"Gabi, you're my angel… I need you" he kissed her softly on the lips, but she felt his anxiety through the kiss, "You were there for me when I needed you the most"

"But you love her." Gabriella wanted to cry, to tell him that she could try again even though he felt something for Molly too. That she could make him forget her, but she knew it wouldn't be fair, she was a new Gabriella too, she was changed, for the better.

"You can't be with me because you need me, you have to be with me because you love me"

"But I love you" Troy protested, trying to kiss her again.

"You love her more, Troy. I would never forgive myself If I didn't let you free to be with the one you always dreamed to be" Gabriella sighed, wiping his tears with her thumb, "You need to try, see if she's what you've always wanted"

"What about us?"

"We are over Troy" she caressed his cheek, "But I'm happy" Gabriella lied fervently, "I'm happy because I met you, because you let me know the real you… And because you helped me with my own issues, you were there when I needed you the most"

Troy nodded quietly; he closed his eyes as soon as he felt her lips against his again, their tongues curling up in a sad movement. For a minute Gabriella held him close, inhaling his scent and pressing her body to his as if she would never see him again.

"I thought I could make you forget her" she whispered against his neck as they pulled away from the kiss, "But I guess I'm not your true love"

Then, she let go of him. Troy stayed in the same position, his eyes still red and puffy from his crying. Gabriella was really something; he had never seen anyone like her that would be so selfless to even abdicate her own happiness on behalf of someone else… On behalf of what she thought would be his happiness.

He listened carefully as her soft footsteps filled the room, and then the door to her room slammed shut. Troy walked to his own room, he needed to get ready and go after Molly, he needed to try...

As Gabriella heard the noise of water coming from his shower, she began to cry. Never in her life she had cried so hard. When she thought she was in control of her feelings again, she locked the door and lay down on her bed.

Staring at the ceiling, thinking about their moments together, she began to cry again, deeply and madly than she cried before, with him or with Ty. Her sobs shook her spine like an earthquake and she covered her mouth with her hand, letting the cry and the sob to stop…

And after hours she realized she had cried too long. _Too long_ to be crying about one man, about one heart that was broken…

Gabriella gazed at the calendar in her room and sighed in relief, two more days and she'd be out of there, ready to forget the old Gabriella, ready to forget Troy and his new life with Molly… ready to begin a new chapter in her life.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N--- I still need to decide what I'm going to do with the end of the story haha the grand finale I had on my mind is gone, oficially. I didn't like the way I would end things for Troy and Gabriella... Anyways, thanks for the reviews, and keep telling me what you think of the story. Your opinion is so important to me, seriously.

I hope you guys had a nice weekend, and hope you enjoy the chapter, too. I liked it a lot --- you girls that sent me PM's complaining about Troy will feel bad now, lol. He isn't a bad person like you all thought, ha. ENJOY!! =]

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Feel It**

**Chapter 11:**

"I guess I was waiting for him to stop me when Payton arrived home" she touched her phone tightly to her ear, "I was waiting for him to tell me he changed his mind, that he loved me more than anything and wanted to be with me instead of Molly" Gabriella sighed, playing with a lock of hair, "We girls tend to think about relationships like it was something sent from above, you know?" she looked down, "I made that mistake with Troy"

"I mean, I looked at him after he chose Molly over me, and I still liked him, I still wanted to kiss him and be with him!" Gabriella said, disappointment in her voice, "Sometimes I just think I like other people more than I like myself" she tilted her head to the side and saw that a guy was watching her intently, "Uhm—Chad, can I talk to you later? Yeah, I'm better now, thanks for calling" she smiled and nodded her head, "I will, bye"

Gabriella pierced the guy that was sitting beside her with her eyes, and he only smiled at her, blushing, probably ashamed he was caught staring.

"I'm sorry" he said politely, "I didn't want to pay attention, it's just your story is really sad"

"I know" she sighed, putting her phone back in her purse, "Don't worry, I'm not mad"

He smiled, "I'm William Rhodes" he offered his hand and Gabriella shook it, "I'm Gabriella, nice meeting you William"

"If you allow me to tell you something, Gabriella… I would like to add that if the guy you were talking about is not with you, you are better off without him, then" William concluded.

She lifted her eyebrows and studied the stranger that was sitting right next to her, on a Monday morning, when the mall was supposed to be really empty. He was kind of attractive, reddish hair, green eyes and he was smiling to her so sincerely that it almost made her feel good.

"Maybe I was born to be single"

William laughed, "That's bullshit, Gabriella. Everybody has a pair, perhaps yours was not him"

Gabriella smiled a bit, "I have no idea why I'm sitting here, telling you my life like we were good friends" she rolled her eyes, "I don't even know you"

"Well" he narrowed his eyes playfully, "My friends call me Liam, because there are just so many William's in the world. I like long walks on the beach and I don't drink beer, it taste like pee to me" William grimaced and continued, "I don't like cats and I'm really, really afraid of spiders"

She giggled, "I guess it's a pleasure to meet you then, Liam"

"Call me Will" he smiled at her, "What about you, Gabriella? What should I expect about you?"

"Uh, probably nothing" she smiled and then sighed, "My brother's coming, I should go"

Will nodded, "It was a pleasure Gabriella…?"

"Montez, Gabriella Montez"

"Thanks for paying attention, Will. Even though I had no idea you were listening to my conversation" she giggled and they shook hands, "Bye"

Gabriella waved to him and walked to where Charlie was waiting for her, his arms crossed in front of his body and his sunglasses still on, even though he was inside the mall now.

"Hey, sorry I'm late" Charlie hugged her and kissed her cheek, "Did you get everything you need?"

"Yeah, let's go home"

"Okay" Charlie smiled, "Jen said I should talk to you about Ben, our neighbor in Los Angeles. He is awesome with the boys, really patient… will probably be a good father"

Gabriella giggled, "I don't need you to find me a boyfriend. I'm fine" she ignored the look he gave her, "Really"

"I don't wanna see you depressed, you know that"

"I know Charles, I won't be, I promise" she raised her hand, promising and he smiled sweetly, Okay, if you say so"

"Let's get your nephews at mom's house then" he pulled her by the arm, "They must have being driving her crazy"

"Probably" she giggled again. "Or mom drove them crazy"

"That's a possibility too" Charlie smirked, "At least dad is there"

Gabriella laughed again and let her brother pull her out of the mall by the hand.

"Girls and malls, I need to take you out of here while I still have the chance, you know---Oh shit" Charlie cried out and turned around, hiding something from Gabriella with his back, "I'm hungry, are you hungry?"

She looked at him, confused, "What's the problem with you?"

"I'm just hungry, let's go eat?"

"Charlie…"

He sighed and moved to the side, looking back quickly, and pointing straight ahead. Troy and Molly were standing next to a car, probably hers since Troy still couldn't drive, and they were putting a few bags from the grocery store inside her truck, along with new pillows and a bag full of sheets.

Gabriella bit her lip at the same time her tears started running down her cheeks; Troy and Molly shared a hug and he caressed her cheek for a few seconds before they hopped into the car and drove off.

"Are you okay, sugar?" Charlie asked.

"I---I'm fine" she lied, quickly wiping her tears with the back of her hand, "I told him to go for her, right? I can't be sad he moved on"

"Of course you can" he hugged her, kissing her forehead, "I can't believe how stupid he is, and I thought he was a nice guy"

She shrugged her shoulders, "The worst part is that he is a nice guy, Charlie" they started walking to his car, "And guys always end up doing that, I should get used to it"

Charlie pulled her abruptly by the arm, "Don't you ever say that again, alright?" he cupped her face with both hands and stared into her eyes, "You are freaking amazing and there isn't anyone better than you in the world, agreed?"

Gabriella sniffed, "Agreed"

"Excellent" they stepped inside their car and Charlie drove off, as well.

On the long drive back home Gabriella couldn't help but think about Troy's words on their first date – I won't ever disappoint you.

Phew! If she could see the future. Two weeks ago she was having the best time of her life; Gabriella had someone she was in love with, she had an awesome job that she really enjoyed, her heart had all pieces together… but now things were complete different. Troy only tried to talk to her twice, and then he gave up and went out with Molly.

She couldn't be mad at him, only with herself. There was nothing more in the world she wanted to be now than selfish. She wanted to ask him to be with her, to forget about his happiness and Molly's.

Gabriella wanted him to choose her, but you can't tell your heart who you're gonna love. It's not your decision. The only thing she could decide was that she wasn't going to be like Molly, and mess up with the other's feelings, screw up somebody else relationship. That, she would never be.

But the problem when you fall in love with someone and you can't see the future, is that you give yourself completely to one person, not really knowing if the relationship is going to work out or not. You just pray it will… Gabriella prayed she wouldn't get hurt this time, but she was. But at least she was happy she didn't get as hurt as she got with Ty, because Troy was always so sincere about his feelings towards Molly that she knew where she was getting into this time.

Gabriella rolled down her window and felt the breeze hit her face; she sighed deeply still thinking of Troy. Thinking of the first time she took him out, how happy he looked on that day. She ran her hands through her curly hair, biting her lower lip.

Being away from his was so difficult, even worse when she was kicked out of his life because of Molly, because of her feelings. Her feelings had betrayed her again. She thought that maybe she was strong enough to see him with Molly, to be in his life as a friend, as somebody that cared about him, but it was too much see him, the guy she loved, with someone else. It was too painful for her little heart.

The one thing she was happy about getting into this mess, was still being in contact with Payton and Chad. That was the only way she knew he was having his surgery earlier.

Payton had called her the day after she left the house, to express her feelings and thoughts – she hated Molly and wasn't talking to Troy since he left to go after her. Chad would always call her too, telling everything about Troy's condition, but everytime he tried to tell her something about Troy and Molly she didn't let him finish – sit there and listen to how Troy's life was perfect with the love of his life was not a great solution to her problems; she didn't want to end up depressed.

Now Gabriella was counting the days till he operated his eyes, because a few days after it, she would go travel a bit, maybe she would stay with her friend Sharpay that lived in Florida, or go to NYC. It wouldn't be forever, she loved living in Albuquerque to be in another state for the rest of her life, it would be just till she could manage the Troy situation inside of her and then, they could be friends again. Or not, maybe she would not care about Troy anymore. Gabriella smiled, that was what she was going to do, forget him.

But when Payton called her a month later, asking her to stop by at the hospital a day after Troy's operation, she couldn't help but feel worried that something might gone wrong and she was being called as psychologist to help him out. Troy's sister said she was too busy to chat by phone, that if she wanted to know what really happened to Troy, she had to come to the hospital.

So there she was, being unfaithful to her own words, stepping inside Albuquerque Grand Hospital, her hands shaking like a teenager, her heart beating madly inside her chest, and if she didn't breathe right now, she would probably faint in the middle of the hospital.

"How are you feeling?" Payton asked, hugging her tightly, "Thanks so much for being here"

"I'm fine… nervous" Gabriella admitted, smiling at her. Her stomach was twisting and her legs were really weak, it got even worse when she saw Molly sitting in the waiting room, too.

"Listen Gabriella, I have to tell you something about Molly" Payton looked back from Molly to Gabriella, "I was not talking to him, you know that—"

"Don't do that, please" Gabriella shook her head, "It's been a long month for me, but I'm finally feeling better" she said softly, almost begging "don't screw up everything for me"

Payton nodded, "Okay, sure, I won't say a thing, but I'm still on your side, my brother was and is a jerk"

"It's okay"

Chad walked to the girls and gave Gabriella a quick hug, "We knew you'd come"

"I still care very much about him" she said hopelessly, "How is he?"

"Fine, he is sleeping now. My mom is there with him" Payton informed as they walked out of the hospital and far away from Molly, "The doctor said he will need to wait a week to know if he recovered his sight"

"His eyes need to adjust, something like this" Chad shrugged.

"Does Troy know I'm here?" she asked; Chad and Payton shook their heads negatively, "We were hoping you'd come, but we were not sure"

Gabriella nodded quietly, "Don't tell him I was here, please"

"Why not?" Payton cried out, "He'll like it very much, Gabriella"

"Just don't… please" Gabriella swallowed, looking down, "I'm going to Florida in a few days"

"When you'll come back?"

"I…don't… know"

"Don't go, there's so much you can do here" Payton begged.

Gabriella stared at her incredulously, "I can't stay, can't you understand? It's too much walking in and seeing Molly---"

Chad interrupted her, "Gabriella, I know you don't like Molly, but listen up, we need to talk to you"

"No!" she stepped back instinctively, "I'm done with it, I've been on the ground for too much time, it's time to stand up again"

"Gabriella--"

"It was amazing knowing you Payton" she hugged the girl, before she could start talking again, and then she hugged Chad, "Take care of him, please"

"Montez, don't go…" he pleaded softly, "Stay with us, please"

"I can't" she smiled and whispered in his ear, "You just need to fake right and break left" Chad lifted his eyebrows as she continued, "Tease the other player, make him believe in you… that's how you'll keep the ball the whole game"

Chad smirked, "Cool"

Gabriella kissed his cheek, "Take care" she looked at Payton, "You have my e-mail, if you come to Florida someday, visit me"

Before they could start begging again, Gabriella turned on her heel and disappeared through the parking lot, afraid if she stayed one more minute, she would change her mind and give up her own happiness. She gave just a last look at the place Troy was, imagining how he would be feeling right now, but she quickly remind herself that was not her job anymore;

Troy had everyone he needed right now: his mother, his sister, his best friend and his girlfriend. That's what he needed for his own happiness.

* * *

"Mom?" Troy asked, searching with his ears for any kind of sound in the room. He hated having the bandages on his eyes, they had taken the contours and the shadows away from him; he was feeling as blind as ever. Troy wanted to think positive, but he was afraid he wouldn't be able to see never again. He wanted to take the bandages off, and maybe tease his eyes, see if he tried really hard he could see, but the doctor was really firm when he said this week Troy needed to be in complete darkness.

"I'm here sweetie" Cassidy said, grabbing his hand, "How are you feeling? Do you need anything?"

"I'm scared, mom" he admitted in a whisper, squeezing her hand tight, "I'm afraid it won't work out"

"You need to wait and see, Troy" she sighed, "Do you wanna hear something nice?"

Troy shrugged, "Yeah, tell me"

"I overheard Payton talking with Gabriella; she said she'd come to see you"

Troy's heart was pounding so hard that it made him sick, "She's here?"

"Probably"

"Send her in, mom" he grinned, "Please, send her in"

Cassidy laughed, "Okay, okay" she stood up and let go of his hand, "Don't move the bandages, promise me?"

"I promise mommy, just get her… Send Gabriella in"

"Okay, behave" she kissed his forehead, "And good luck"

Troy grinned again and nodded his head. As soon as he heard the door being shut, he shifted in his bed and tried to maintain perfect posture, resting his hands uneasily on each side of his body. He took two deep breaths to regain his words; he had so much to explain.

After telling Cassidy that Chad and Payton were outside with Gabriella, Molly jumped out of the hospital's couch and made her way to Troy's room. She didn't like the idea of him alone. She pushed the door open, to see Troy in an almost sitten position. He didn't move, like he was sleeping or just playing statue.

The room was better lit now, but still the light was weak, illuminating just Troy's figure a bit, he couldn't have any kind of lights or anything that could prejudice his sight this first crucial week.

Molly stepped closer to the bed, softly, not knowing if he was awake or not. He wasn't snoring, though he still sat motionless. She took a deep breath, lifting her hand to touch his face.

"Gabriella?"

Molly flinched and stepped back, biting her lip.

"Gabi, I'm so glad you're here" Troy sounded relived and happy at the same time, which made Molly's heart flip inside her chest, "Gosh baby, I was missing you so much"

"I'm sorry I took so long to explain myself, but you didn't seem to want to talk to me… and I wanted to give you space… and--" he sighed deeply, "I'm sorry I went after Molly at first, but everything was a misunderstood, I never chose her over you, Gabi" he ran his hand through his hair, "I went to her place to tell her that after our talk, I realized you were the one I wanted"

Molly's eyes got teary and she tried to hold up a sob, unsuccessful. "Love, please don't cry" Troy continued, "Aw Gabi, I love you so much. This weeks without you were like hell to me, but Molly helped me, baby. She accepted being only my friend, that's what I realized she was… just a friend. I don't know her, I can't feel her like I feel you Gabriella. I see your soul even though I'm blind…" Troy bit the top of his lips, his fingertips pressing on his stomach as he continued his speech, with so much passion that Molly felt sick, "I missed you the moment you left me. You didn't answer my calls, you didn't hear Chad or Payton, I had no idea what I should do to get you back, baby" he raised his hand, searching for hers, waiting, begging for her forgiveness, "I'm sorry If I made you suffer, and thanks for letting me free. I needed to know she was not for me, that I was no longer in love with Molly. She's a great girl, don't get me wrong… but she's just…" he struggled for the right words, "She's just no you, Gabi"

Molly held her breath; her heart was falling into pieces as the boy in front of her was declaring himself to someone else. The boy she said she was fine being only a friend, but deep inside, she wanted nothing like this with him. She had Troy for years and when she finally fell in love with him, he fell out of love with her. Things could be so cruel sometimes.

"Gabriella, say something love" Troy sounded worried now and that killed Molly a bit more inside. She wanted to tell him she was not Gabriella; that she would get the girl he really loved for him, but it was impossible. Unfortunately, she was a selfish person, she wanted everything for her, and she wanted Troy for her. Molly hoped she could make him fall in love with her, again.

"Gabriella, please say something. If you don't say anything I'll think you don't love me" he tried to joke, but you could hear the fear in his voice. Molly wiped her tears, letting the silence pierce their hearts, and Troy nodded quietly.

"I see" he said in a whisper, holding tightly on the tip of his blanket, "It's okay, Gabriella. I get it"

And then, Molly did the only thing she was able to do, she stepped back and ran out of the room.


	12. Chapter 12

**Feel It**

**Chapter 12:**

Gabriella grabbed her suitcases from the car and put it back on the floor. She had just rented a new apartment near school and was finally able to move in after six months away in Florida. Being away was essential for her sanity and now that she was clearly better, she saw things very well. She had gone to a point she thought she would never be happy again in Albuquerque, but after a few months, she was back home, a sincere smile on her face and lots of adventures on her backpack.

Sharpay had tried to convince her to stay with her in Florida forever, but Gabriella missed home, the desert and her friends that she left when she moved. On Monday she'd be back to school to finish her last year at university, she'd finally be a psychologist; Gabriella couldn't wait to help people.

As she put her suitcases inside the elevator and observed the heavy doors closing, Gabriella tilted her head back, resting it against the elevator's walls and sighing deeply. It felt good to be home. Everything in New Mexico would put a smile on her face; the air, the sun, the people.

And the people! The one that said internet helped while being away from someone you loved had no feelings at all. It was not the same chat by messenger, or e-mail or even live on cam. She had been in contact with Chad and Payton, they were actually dating, what Gabriella still found pretty hard to believe considering Chad and Payton never seemed interested in the other.

Apparently, Gabriella was still known as "The Wonder Woman" there, Chad used to tell her that Zeke, Ryan and Jason always said she was the best girl in the world. The boys were dating a few girls too, but nothing too serious. Molly and Troy she knew nothing about. The only thing Gabriella asked about Troy was if his surgery had worked, and yes, Payton had said Troy could watch again, even though he developed the mania of tracing the walls whenever he wanted to get to a place, even though he could see things with his eyes now.

Gabriella walked down the corridor of her condo and stopped in front of her new apartment's door. She unlocked it and pushed the door open. As she stepped inside, her eyes running around the room, she smiled. Gabriella could feel she was going to be really happy there.

Her phone started ringing and she smiled widely when she read who it was, "Chad!" she greeted him contently, "Yeah, I'm glad to be home, too"

* * *

"_I'm taking the bandages off now, Troy" Doctor Jones informed him, "Keep your eyes shut, you don't see the light for a very long time" he reminded Troy and he nodded quietly, keeping his eyes hard shut while he prayed silently he could see again. _

_The doctor continued his procedure of letting his eyes free from the bandages, always talking and joking while he did it; not that Troy was paying attention at all. All he could feel was his mom's hand grabbing his tightly and Payton's fingertips on his feet on the edge of the bed. _

_Troy raised his hand to rub against his eye, they were so swollen and sensitive that he couldn't help but let out a low groan. _

"_Let me do it, you're gonna hurt yourself" the doctor rubbed his thumbs against his eyes, slowly and delicately, massaging the skin for distress._

"_Can I open my eyes now?" Troy asked softly and the doctor nodded, "Sure, but slowly" _

_Cassidy, Payton, Chad and Molly, the ones that were there with him in the hospital, waiting impatiently to know if he got his sight back or not shared a look, very quickly before turning their attentions to Troy again. _

_Troy opened his eyes, slowly like the doctor advised, blinking too many times to adjust to the light. He bit the top of his lip gently and his eyes got teary as the figure of his sister started to form in front of his eyes, clearly this time, not only her contour or her shadow. Troy could see Payton's long blond hair, her big blue eyes, the way her mouth was twisted as she avoided the need of biting her nails, like she always did when she was nervous. _

_He moved his gaze from Payton to his mother, her short hair and blue eyes studying him intently; Chad's afro was bigger than before, his eyes narrowed suspiciously as his eyes kept following Troy's gaze around the room. He saw the doctor and then Molly. Somehow, he couldn't help but think his eyes played tricks on him while he was in love with her. He saw Molly before his operation like a superwoman, her long legs, blond hair and green eyes seemed like the best combination for him, but that was before Gabriella. It was just the superficial. Troy never captured her essence. _

_All Troy could think about when he looked at Molly, was his Gabriella, the one that he didn't need eyes to see. Something about her expression confirmed to him he was not in love with her anymore. He no longer felt the stomach tied up in knots, he no longer felt the butterflies. She was not Gabriella. _

"_Troy?" Doctor Jones called him again, and he moved his face quickly to stare at the doctor in time to see him placing his glasses on his eyes and show two fingers, "How many fingers I have here?"_

_A grin formed slowly on his face, "Two…" _

_And then, the squealing began._

_

* * *

_Troy sighed as his mind took him back from the day he realized he was healed, he could see again. He looked up from his school project to his wall, to find the drawing he had done of Gabriella still there, like it was a trophy. Everytime he needed inspiration, he would stare at the picture, the only thing he had left from Gabriella – and somehow, she helped him.

_Knock, knock. _

"Yeah?" his voice sounded annoyed and Payton rolled her eyes, pushing the door open, "Can I come in?"

Troy looked back from his project to his sister that was standing in his doorway, "Sure, what's up Pay?"

"We're going to a party tonight" she said cheerfully, sitting on the floor of Troy's studio and resting her back against the black couch. He had tried to live alone, Molly even helped him buying sheets and new pillows for his place a few months ago, but he ended up moving back home; Troy felt really lonely in an apartment – it made him think of her, of his Gabriella. He sighed again, deeply this time, he didn't like thinking about her too much; it hurt.

"We as in…?" he moved his attention back to his project; he had so much to catch up with at school.

"We… Chad and I… The boys… maybe you"

"I'm not going, Payton. I have a few things to do here"

Payton sighed. "You need to stop studying a bit, you know? That's not healthy"

"Right" he chuckled, drawing a perfect sketch of a house. Troy held the pencil between his teeth, observing his project, "Do you like it?"

She stood up and moved next to him, resting both of his hands on Troy's shoulder, "It's beautiful, you're really inspired"

He looked up at her, "Thanks…" he smiled sweetly, "This one is personal"

"You know she'll probably come to the party too"

"Who? Molly?"

"No!" Payton snapped rudely, rolling her eyes, "Gabriella's back"

The pencil fell from Troy's lips and his hand shook a bit; the sound of her name made her a real person again. Troy never, ever pronounced her name out loud, he only thought of it. And after months that felt like decades, hearing that she was back to Albuquerque, she was, well… alive changed everything. Gabriella was still important to him, he still felt the same way for her, and his heart was showing him it.

"Troy? You're okay?" Payton patted him on the shoulder, "Troy?"

"I---I'm fine" he shook his head, rubbing his hand on his face, "I don't wanna talk about Gabriella, Payton"

"I don't understand what happened" Payton exploded. She tended to respect his wishes and not talk about Gabriella, but she had enough. "You were the one that screwed everything up with her. You should have told her you never had anything with Molly the time you still could!"

"I tried" Troy cried out, standing up from his chair and throwing himself on the couch; he covered his face with his hands and let out a groan.

"When?!" he felt Payton sit on the edge of the couch and raised his head to look at her, "When she came to the hospital" he sighed, "I told her everything, that I loved her, that I wanted to be with her… but she didn't say anything back"

"At the hospital?" she raised one eyebrow while she rubbed her hair, thinking about what Troy had just said to her, "When you operated?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah Payton" he rolled his eyes, annoyed again.

"You didn't talk to her, Troy"

"I did"

"No, you didn't" Payton looked at him like he was some kind of freak, "I remember she was there, but she talked with me and Chad outside the hospital, and then she went home and never came back"

In a matter of seconds, so quickly that Payton almost missed his movement, Troy was half-sitten, popped up on his right arm, "What?!"

"It wasn't her, Troy. It was somebody else in the room"

"Oh god" he murmured to himself, sitting straight and then burying his head in his hands, "She probably thinks I'm with Molly then"

"That's bad, Troy"

"Yeah" he nodded slowly, his eyes still shut hard, "Damn it"

"You could always come to the party tonight and talk to her in person"

"I---I don't know" he said insecurely, "I mean, what if she's with somebody else already?"

"Well, you'll have to go and see for yourself" Payton patted his arm, "Don't give up, if you love her it's time to prove it"

"You're right" he replied hopeful, "I need to see her, I've been dying to see her face… to see the face of my angel"

Payton giggled, "Aww that's… so… sweet"

"Payton" he sighed, "Can you please leave me alone? I need to think of something to get my girl back"

"You love her that much?"

"More than anything" he replied sincerely.

"Then just tell her the truth… Gabriella will forgive you if she still feels the same way"

Troy nodded, suddenly his project that took all his time this week seeming like nothing important for him. There could be a World War III outside, but Troy would still go after Gabriella, he wanted his happiness again, and she was his happiness.

Later that night, he took a shower, still finding pretty funny how his eyes would adjust to things in front of him. Everyday he would get surprised how things would impress him. Colors, shapes, textures, everything was so different and so fascinating. Troy had learned the time he was blind, how to really see things, to notice and get to the _soul_ of things. And now, that he had his sight back, he still worked with his heart, all the time. He saw things differently, he paid attention. And all of that, thanks to Gabriella.

Troy sighed, drying his hair with his towel and walking to his closet, grabbing a beige shirt and dressing it. Another thing Troy developed was using light colors, because his eyes sometimes still complained with the 'amount of information'.

He hummed as he dressed into his dark jeans and shoes, and went back to his bathroom, to put cologne and work on his hair – Troy wanted to look good for Gabriella tonight, he had been waiting so much to see her for the first time, he'd like to make a good impression after all that time they've been without each other.

He looked at his reflex on the mirror and sighed; Flicking his hair out of his eyes, Troy couldn't help but think what he was going to tell her, to make her believe he never been with Molly and that she was the love of his life. He planned to tell her how hard it was to be without her these six months; that he felt like she took a part of him when she went away… He would tell her all the truth, and hope she would believe it.

The doorbell rang and he checked himself on the mirror one more time before walking out of his room and running down the stairs. As he opened the door, he couldn't help but take a step back to let his eyes adjust to the colorful figure in front of him.

"Hey Chad" he stepped aside, letting his best friend get inside the house, "What's up?"

Chad studied Troy from upside down, "You're going with us, then?"

"Gabriella is coming, right?"

He nodded, jumping sitten on the couch, "Is she okay?" Troy asked, shyly.

"She's fine, dude. Better than ever"

Troy smiled, sitting beside Chad on the couch, "Good… that's awesome"

"You're looking pretty fancy tonight" he complimented casually, "What's up with the classy shoes?"

"I'm just trying to look nice for her" Troy shrugged and sighed, "I mean, she haven't seen me for six months… it's a long time"

Chad smirked, "You're gonna fall on your knees when you see her, she's hot, dude"

"I don't really mind if she's hot or not, I just love her for who she is Chad"

He rolled his eyes, "That's gay, dude" he smirked, "You're gay"

"Whatever"

They heard Payton's footsteps and Chad quickly stood up, straightening up to look like a complete gentleman. Her blond long hair was falling on her shoulders and Payton was using a red dress that hugged her figure very well. Chad gasped and when she saw him she smiled widely, making her big blue eyes blink madly.

"Hey Chad"

He smiled, "Hey Pay"

Troy rolled his eyes as they stood inches from the other, in a complete awkward silence. He stood up too, and putting his hands behind their heads brought their faces together, "There" he said as their lips touched slightly, making both of them blush.

"Can we go now?" he asked impatiently. Payton slapped him on the chest, "I'll remember doing that when you see Gabriella"

His stomach tied up in knots at the sound of her name, but he kept it cool, "Can we please go?"

Chad timidly grabbed Payton's hand and looked at Troy, with a proud smirk, "Let's go hoops"

"Yeah, let's go" he walked faster than Payton and Chad, disappearing through the front door before they could manage to give their first step.

"Wow… someone's eager"

Payton nodded, giggling, "Yeah"

As they hopped in Troy's car and he drove down the road, he rolled down the window and let the breeze refresh his thoughts. He always had a stupid smile on his face everytime he decided to drive, but today he was feeling too nervous to even enjoy the ride. He began tapping his fingertips noisily against the steering wheel, murmuring something to himself, like he was practicing what he was going to tell Gabi.

"Troy, calm down. You are starting to scare me" Payton whispered, locking eyes with her brother as he stared at her, "Please, calm down"

Troy took two deep breaths, "I'm trying"

Chad's pocket beeped and he dug into his jeans pocket to collect his mobile, "Ah, it's a text from Gabs"

He stopped on the red light, and looked back.

"She's gonna be late" he smiled at Troy sympathetically, "Relax dude, she's still going at least"

As they arrived at the ballroom that was going to be used for the party, at one of the biggest hotels in Albuquerque, Payton couldn't stop bragging about how lucky she was for having great contacts, because the party was going to be huge and the tickets were already sold out. Troy rolled his eyes at how superficial his sister could be sometimes.

"How's Gabriella going to find us?" Troy asked, following Payton and Chad as they walked inside the ballroom.

"Have you heard about cell phones?" Payton teased.

"Are you sure you gonna hear it…or feel it?" he asked sarcastically, watching as Chad's hand rested on top of his sister butt, where her phone was securely shoved into her small purse that Chad was carrying happily around.

Payton blushed, slapping Chad's hand from her butt, "She'll find us, don't worry Troy"

He shrugged and let his eyes run around the room; it had been decorated with massive golden balls all over the ceiling and it was, absolutely packed. The atmosphere was simply electric showing this would be certainly a mind-blowing party, even though Troy was not the party type of boy anymore.

As expected, the room looked like a jungle, the music so loud people could go deaf, but at the same time, the energy coming from the dancing bodies that were visibly having the best time of their lives was contagious.

There were two DJ's, one on the big dance floor, that was mostly filled with alternative people and some part of geeks, and the small dance floor, like Payton was trying to explain, was for the VIP people.

"That include us" she said happily, pointing to the pink glittery curtain that led them to the small dancefloor. As the three of them arrived, they found the DJ creating a funky atmosphere to greet the people and get them moving on the dance floor. Even though it was already open, there weren't too many people there, just around the bar, what was a shame in Payton's opinion, because the DJ's choice of tunes was really excellent.

Payton quickly pulled Chad to the dancefloor, to shake their souls out of their bodies, not really bothering people were staring at them. Troy leaned against the bar and waited, with a beer on his hand, for any sign of Gabriella, her voice, maybe some girl looking like the picture he drew.

He took a sip of his beer, noticing it didn't take long till Payton and Chad – that was dancing some kind of the 80's choreography – were joined by the audience. Troy took another sip of his beer, his eyes intently on the curtain that would led to the small dance floor; he couldn't help but wonder if Payton had thought about telling Gabriella there were two dance floors inside the ballroom.

Troy sighed, grabbing another beer, decided he would go to the other part of the room to look for Gabriella or any of the boys. Zeke, Ryan and Jason could help him find her. After a while, the social groups disappeared and pushing through the main dance floor the crowd thinned out a little, but only as much as it made dancing enjoyable, giving the more energetic folks the change to throw some shapes without bruising others.

It didn't matter now if you were VIP, or a geek or even alternative, everybody was dancing together, mingled on the dance floor, sweaty bodies dancing illuminated by the colorful lights; the VIP dancing with the geeks, the alternatives sweaty bodies clung to the punk writhing ones. The DJ's music was euphoric, chosen to make the crowd go wild and for the whole night, Troy found it difficult to express how weird he felt being there, his head spinning fast, his wet shirt hugging his body and the loud music making his ears ache. Every individual there were connected on what seemed to be a massive orgy of enjoyment of the atmosphere and the music.

Troy took two deep breaths, and then took another sip of his beer. He wasn't feeling very well, it was his first party in six months; the first time he was in contact with too many people, too many colors and too many sounds. He walked out of the dance floor, and leaned his back against the cold ballroom's wall. Troy closed his eyes and tilted his head back. He licked his lower lip trying to ignore all the dizziness he was feeling and the fact his legs were threatening to stop working.

"Troy? Man, you're alright?" he recognized Zeke's voice and nodded slowly, biting on his top lip before opening his eyes. And then, his heart stopped. Standing behind Zeke was a curious face, staring at him with worried eyes. Troy knew it was her, because his hands became sweaty for no reason. Gabriella started walking closer to Troy, her black curls dancing around as she walked. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She didn't smile; she just kept observing him with worried eyes, eyes that cared. He could feel she still cared about him.

"Are you okay Troy?" she asked softly, raising a hand to touch his forehead, "You look really pale"

It was her. He recognized her voice too. His heart didn't fail to show him who the girl of his dreams was. He could feel her shaky hands against his skin, her warm eyes. Gabriella was nervous too, he could sense it. Troy stared into her eyes, fascinated. Her eyes seemed to be exactly like he imagined – windows to her soul. The eyes that didn't seem possible to lie or hide anything from.

He gulped, he had seen her. Troy was able to see for the first time the girl that captured his soul, the girl he fell in love on the inside at first. Now he was in love with her outside too.

Gabriella stepped closer, and the smell of her perfume lingered Troy's nose. His gaze was locked on her, how she looked perfect in her black dress, her long hair falling down her shoulders. Her red lips that Troy wanted to taste so badly.

"I think he's in shock" she told Zeke, waving her hand in front of Troy's face, biting her lip, "Call 911, Zeke"

"N-no" Troy managed to chock out, "I'm … just speechless" he said slowly as he touched Gabriella's cheek gently, his eyes still widened a bit, "You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, Gabi"

He pulled her tightly to his body, forgetting everybody that was staring at them like they were from another planet. He hugged her so strong he could break her bones, but Gabriella didn't complain. She just melted into his touch and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him back, crying silently on his shoulder.

They became just one person. Two hearts… Beating in synchrony. Like they were created for each other, soul mates connected again.

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A/N--- Well, he finally sees her, but I haven't finished the next chapter, so I don't know if they will be together as a couple or just as friends haha... Anyways, the story is almost over.. 2+ chapters and that's it. I'm working on another story, but I only have a few chapters written, so I'm not sure I'm going to post it or not, I'm gonna make my boyfriend read it, if he likes it, I'll put on lol I'm feeling insecure haha ;P

So, please please please - review and tell me your opinion? And if you want another story from me or you think it's better to retire, hahaha

xoxo May


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **Okay, this is a short one and the last chapter of the story, since I decided I didn't want an Epilogue. Thanks so much for reading the story, taking your time to review it and I hope you like the end. =]

Anyway, I'm working on another story like I told you guys, and I guess I'll put it up in a couple of weeks. So, add me to your author alert in case you want to read it! It's gonna be awesome to have you guys reading another story of mine.

Well, see ya later and enjoy! ;]

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing, only the plot.

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**Feel It**

**Chapter 13:**

"**Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres" 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7**

Troy had pulled Gabriella by the hand out of the party and into one of the hotel rooms alleging they had to talk what would be the conversation of their lives. Gabriella was feeling too vulnerable right now to argue with him about it. She just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry very much, like she didn't cry all these months without him. She hated Troy for having that effect on her after so much time, for bringing her to the edge of her sanity again; to play with her emotions and drive herself crazy wondering what to do with the amount of butterflies she was feeling inside her stomach. Gabriella hated herself for being so weak when she was next to him, she had promised herself she didn't feel anything for Troy anymore, but apparently her heart liked to tease her.

He shut the door and studied Gabriella that was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down; her eyes still red and swollen. He walked to her, kneeling in the middle of her legs, placing both of his hands on each of her knee. Gabriella sighed, feeling her body shake slightly at the touch of his soft hands on her skin again.

"I love you" he said simply, cupping her cheek with his large hand and smiling lightly when she leaned into his touch, "I love you so much"

"You can't keep playing with my emotions Troy" she whispered to him, stopping her lips that wanted so much to kiss his hand before she could really do it. "My heart can't take it anymore"

"I'm not playing with yours feelings" he sighed tiredly, "I would never"

"Yeah" she agreed sarcastically, nodding her head, "What about Molly?"

"Molly means nothing to me" he informed her, stroking her cheek tenderly, "You know what is funny about this?'

"Is there something funny about this?' she raised a single eyebrow and Troy chuckled, "Yeah, there is, actually" he smiled at her and Gabriella felt chills running down her spine, "I declared myself for you six months ago, when I was still in the hospital"

Gabriella opened her mouth to protest but Troy put a finger on her lips to silence her, "I know, it wasn't you" he laughed quietly, "I know that now, but I thought it was you at the time"

She bit her lip, closing her eyes as his fingertips caressed her skin delicately, "Who you declared yourself to then?" she asked softly.

"Does it really matter?" he asked calmly as his hand rubbed up and down her arm, "I guess we will never know, but I'm here, you're here… we're together right now and I love you" he sighed, "That's what makes my world complete. That's what I need to be happy"

"But what I told the person really matters to me, to you" he whispered to her, "To us and I think you should know it too" he stood up and sat beside her, "I told the person I loved you with all my heart. That I went after Molly to tell her that you were the one for me" Troy ran his hand through her hair, smiling when Gabriella sighed contently, "I said I missed you the second you left me" he touched his lips to her cheek, running across her jaw and down her neck, "I told the person you were the love of my life and I wanted to be with you forever. That I couldn't love Molly because she meant nothing to me anymore. That you were my world" he placed sweet pecks on her neck and shoulder, "You are my life"

Gabriella moaned softly, feeling his large hand rest on her stomach, "And tonight, when I saw you… I had no doubt that you were my angel, Gabriella" he raised his hand and turned her head to him again. They locked eyes, blue on brown and he smiled sweetly at her, "I was in love with you on the inside, but now I fell in love with you on the outside, too"

She blushed and he continued, "Sorry seems to be the hardest word, but I'm sorry" he sighed, "I'm sorry I made you suffer, I was a jerk for waiting so long to declare myself, but I tend to do some stupidity sometimes" she gave him a tiny smile and that encouraged him to keep talking, "All I'm trying to say is that I'm annoying and I snore when I'm really tired" he smirked playfully "But I can't help but miss you with me every night. I don't want the empty space on the bed anymore" he rested his forehead against hers, his breath tickling her mouth, "I want to hear you sing everyday If possible"

Gabriella closed her eyes, again and whispered, "What are you saying then?"

"I'm saying that I want you to be my girlfriend… officially now"

"You don't annoy me at all" she wiped her teary eyes with the back of her hand and smiled at him, "I missed you so much"

Troy sighed in relief when she hugged him, hiding her face on his chest, wrapping her arms around him tightly, like she was afraid it was a dream and she would wake up anytime now. He kissed the side of her face, sensing her fear, "I will never leave you again, please believe me"

"I do" she said softly, looking up to meet Troy piercing blue eyes hypnotized by her. Gabriella blushed hard as she moved her gaze from his intense eyes, her hair hiding her face.

"Don't do that, please" he pleaded slowly, tucking her hair behind her ear, "You have no idea for how long I wanted to look at your face, don't move it away from me"

"Gabriella" he begged with a half-smile, staring at her red lips with adoration. She giggled lazily, straitening up to kiss him on the mouth. Troy wrapped his arms around her petite body, pulling her closer to him till she was on his lap. He sighed into the kiss as he felt her tongue caressing his, her nails on the side of his neck, the feeling of being in heaven back to his heart.

"Let me see you" he asked and she nodded solemnly, standing up, still in front of him. Troy licked his lower lip, taking in the image of the angel in front of his eyes. He stood up and stepped closer to her, placing both of his hands on each side of her hips, bringing her closer, sliding his tongue across her lips before sliding it between them.

Troy's tongue assaulted Gabriella with passion, sending tingling sensations through her body. He pecked her slowly on the lips, breathing against her mouth, hesitating for a moment as he thought about his next move.

Gabriella was still in awe, the touch of Troy's hands; the taste of his mouth against hers was electric and still left a burning sensation, like months ago. Things seemed to be exactly like six months ago, as if they never, ever separated. Troy smirked proudly; finally able to see her intent gaze on him and her pleading eyes. He loved the display of emotions that crossed her face, his heart was already beating madly inside his chest; Troy wondered how his body would react to the other intense reactions that he knew would come soon.

"Troysie…" she begged softly and he smirked big, using his right hand to pull the zipper down at the back of her dress. Gabriella felt like melting right here as it slid down silently and he brought his hands to push the straps down her arms.

Troy kissed her neck and moved his lips lower as he eased the dress past her breasts. The dress caught at her hips and she moaned fragilely as he bent his head down to lick her nipple as his hands caressed her hips always so gently. With a deep suck on her breast the dress fell down the rest of the way, leaving Gabriella only in panties in front of him.

His heart stuttered in his chest as he stepped back, memorizing Gabriella's body on his mind, wrapping his strong arms around her body, "You're perfect" he murmured, pressing kisses across her shoulders and along her collarbone. He kneeled in front of her, letting his tongue travel on her belly, his teeth teasing the skin so good she felt in heaven.

"Mm" Troy said against her skin, caressing with his fingers a small butterfly tattoo on her lower stomach, "You had it the whole time?"

Gabriella shut her eyes hard as his tongue stroked her tattoo. She nodded fervently, moaning softly, "Yeah…" she said breathlessly, hoping her legs wouldn't give out.

"So pretty" he mumbled into her skin, sliding her lacy black tong down off her legs. She shuddered, a shiver running down her spine as he stared at her, with so much love and adoration. "You never cease to amaze me, Graziella" he slowly sank his teeth into her soft belly skin, causing Gabriella to cry out. His tongue moved down, caressing her vagina gently.

She held on Troy's hair hard as another shiver overcame her body; His tongue started working between her legs and she felt like she was going to faint because of the pleasure. Gabriella moaned softly, whispering his name as his tongue and lips drove her insane.

Troy stood up again when he felt Gabriella's body craving for more; Although her hands were still shaking, she was able to unbutton every button of his shirt, letting his body free of the material, exploring with her hands his shoulders, arms and chest.

"You are so beautiful" she whispered against his mouth and he took a quick breath as Gabriella's small hands ran down his stomach, to dress him off his jeans. She unzipped his pants, pulling his pants and boxers down, exposing his already erect penis to her own delight. Gabriella stroked his manhood softly for a few minutes, while her tongue travelled inside his mouth, and his hand grabbed her strongly by the butt.

"Enough" Troy growled huskily, reaching for her hand and taking it off his penis. "I need more" he lifted her off the floor and deposited on the bed, "I need you"

She licked her lower lip seductively, opening her legs slightly to offer him what he really wanted. Troy smirked, raising his hand signing her to wait. Gabriella watched as he moved across the room, tracing the walls, looking for the light switch.

Before her eyes could adjust to the lack of light, Gabriella felt Troy's member in the middle of her legs, his mouth searching for hers again, finding it like his eyes could see her in the darkened room, like his soul was guiding him to the right spot.

Gabriella gasped in pleasure as his member finally got inside of her, "Baby" she cried out between penetrations, "I can't see you"

Troy smiled; his warm breath touching her earlobe, "Why do we need eyes when we're connected like this?" he whispered in her ear, "Feel me, Gabi" his hand searched for hers, clasping them together, "Can you feel my heart beating against yours?" he asked softly, thrusting slowly but yet deep on her. Gabriella bit her lip, moaning in pleasure and he continued, letting his mouth travel on the side of her throat, "It only beats like this for you"

"I love you" she whispered, letting her legs embrace Troy's hips, feeling him getting deeper, moving harder and faster into her, unable to slow his pace. Gabriella's body worked instinctively, contracting and writhing beneath him.

"I can feel your love" Troy's mouth rested on hers again and he sucked on her lower lip as he moved inside of her, "My heart feels your love, that's what matters" he sighed contently, "You, Gabriella, made me the happiest man on the planet tonight" he admitted as his tongue caressed her upper lip, "When you accepted my apology you put a smile on my face that I'm sure I'll carry for the rest of my life"

Gabriella smiled, stroking his hair, "I'm so glad you didn't give up on me"

Troy nodded deliberately, placing both of his hands on her hips, moving in and out of her faster and deeper. She groaned louder as soon as she felt her orgasm approaching her, pressing her legs tightly around him, calling his name as her walls tightened around his penis.

"I love you so much" Troy whispered to her, still pushing inside her till he exploded too.

"Promise me we'll never be apart again" she begged breathlessly. Troy kissed her lightly on the lips, letting his tongue caress hers; He moved his mouth to her forehead, placing a kiss there, "I can't survive without you" he mumbled into her hair. "This is where forever starts for us, my love"

Every soul has its twin, maybe not identical, but complementary. People come, people go, but your real soul mate will always be there, it doesn't matter if you try to push them away of your life… they always come back.

There is only one person that was born to be with you. You simply know when you meet the one that is destined to be yours, and this time and this place, Troy and Gabriella knew who the one for them was. Ty and Molly were only the people that prepared them to know how to recognize who was coming after them, who was the real love of their lives.

Their souls were clung together, impossible to split; like a magnet attracting iron they'd always be pulled together again. And with this feeling that pulsed inside of their hearts and these last words, they drifted off to sleep, knowing that it didn't matter what happened before, it only mattered that they were going to be together now and for the rest of their lives.

The End…


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